" It appears to be a manufacturing error"
Is the coating chipped, the porcelain finish?
Strange things have happened with even new cookers, but that would be a way to tell if it came like that..........
Bending it back is real tricky, as chipped or not, there's a very real risk of chipping the finish...............
As to a grate, check this:
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/food-pr0n/first-cook-on-my-new-cga/msg46134/#msg46134Another shot of Hank's......
Here's the NIB CGA I got from G and after I put some nice handles on it and cleaned it up (polishing the vent covers was all that was really needed.) Did you know that back in the day, "Go Anywhere" referred to cookers with and without corners?
I suppose Craycort would go well too............