2017 Jayco Precept Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2017 Jayco Precept, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Visibility330.0%
- Engine220.0%
- Body & structure110.0%
- Steering110.0%
- Suspension110.0%
- Other / unspecified110.0%
- Brakes110.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
I purchased a 2017 Jayco Precept 36T on 9/16/2017 and have had issues with it, most that have been handled by Jayco, including a slideout. However, the Windshield Wipers have been a problem for the last 3 years that I have owned it. The Driver's Side Wiper, when being operated, goes too far to the side and goes off the vehicle, flopping off to the side. Camping World has tried to repair it several times, supposedly with Jayco's help, and has failed every time. Open Roads tried to repair it and failed on their first attempt. I am taking it back to them and verifying that they contact Jayco for help in repairing it correctly.
DRIVERS WINDSHIELD WIPER FLOPS ALL THE WAY TO THE FAR LEFT AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND PAST THE EDGE OF THE WINDSHIELD, CATCHING AND MARRING THE WINDOW AND FLIPPING THE WIPER ARM MAKING IT USELESS. CANNOT USE THE WIPER.*DT*JB
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
The exhaust is melting the rear wheel liner and damaging the rear wheel
TL *THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 JAYCO PRECEPT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE IN USE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS HEATED UP TO AN EXTENT WHERE A PLASTIC STORAGE BIN ABOVE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER STARTED TO MELT. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THERE WAS AN ODOR OF MELTED PLASTIC WHICH ALERTED HIM TO THE ISSUE. RICHARDSON'S RV CENTER LOCATED AT 26776 ENCANTO DR, SUN CITY, CA 92585, (866)864-9810 WAS CONTACTED BY PHONE AND INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE RV WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED VIA EMAIL AND INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 12,000. *DT*JB VIN NOT AVAILABLE. CONSUMER STATED THE LATEST IS PART OF THE OVERHEATING MAY BE DUE TO THE SOCK ON THE AIR INTAKE. IT WAS ONLY SUPPOSED TO BE USED ON THE INTAKE WHEN THE COMPLETED FRAME WAS SITTING OUTSIDE, WAITING FOR THE BUILD. IT WAS ON THERE TO KEEP THE BUGS, BIRDS AND CRITTERS OUT. NOT SURE OF THE TRUTH ON THIS, BUT I REMOVED THE YELLOW INTAKE SOCK OFF OF MY MOTORHOME INTAKE TODAY.*JB *DT*JB
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2017 Jayco Precept built on a 2016 Ford Motorhome Chassis. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, there was smoke coming from the rear of the RV. The contact pulled over to the side of the roadway and stopped the RV. The RV was towed to the local repair center, where it was diagnosed and determined that hydraulic fluid had leaked onto the exhaust pipes, causing the smoke. The contact was informed that several support welds had fractured and caused the hydraulic fluid lines to fail and leak hydraulic fluid. Additionally, the mechanic informed the contact that several support welds located at the rear of the RV had sheared off, causing the body of the RV to lower. The RV was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 29,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
I recently purchased a used Jayco Precept 31 UL motorhome that is on a Ford F53 chassis. After the purchase I found that the vehicle handled very dangerously when being passed by a large trucks, or when there were crosswinds or medium strength winds. The problem was bad enough the I narrowly avoided accidents caused by being pushed around by passing 18 wheel trucks or crosswinds, or both. After doing some research on this vehicle, and others on the Ford F53 chassis I found that these handling issues are the number one problem with these units. I subsequently had to invest over $6K to correct these handling problems as they were the result of the ineffective stock suspension configuration from the factory. I had to install a steering stabilizer (Safe-T-Plus), a rear track bar (SuperSteer), front radius rods (SuperSteer), new special damping shocks (Koni FSD shocks) and an adjustable drag link (unsure of the manufacturer). All these modifications collectively changed the handling of the RV from a huge safety hazard to a well heeled and safe handling vehicle. These changes should have been included as standard safety equipment directly from the factory. It is incomprehensible to me that a vehicle of this size should be allowed to be leave the factory and be on the road with such dangerous handling issues. If you do the research you will find many owners of these units who struggle with the same issues and who have had many near misses or accidents on the road as a result. Recreation Vehicles built on the Ford F53 chassis need to be highly regulated and inspected to ensure that they leave the factory with the safest configuration of suspension, chassis and steering equipment available. These vehicles should all be placed under a recall to have the manufacturer(s) install, at their expense, the handling modification I outlined above.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
I recently purchased a used Jayco Precept 31 UL motorhome that is on a Ford F53 chassis. After the purchase I found that the vehicle handled very dangerously when being passed by a large trucks, or when there were crosswinds or medium strength winds. The problem was bad enough the I narrowly avoided accidents caused by being pushed around by passing 18 wheel trucks or crosswinds, or both. After doing some research on this vehicle, and others on the Ford F53 chassis I found that these handling issues are the number one problem with these units. I subsequently had to invest over $6K to correct these handling problems as they were the result of the ineffective stock suspension configuration from the factory. I had to install a steering stabilizer (Safe-T-Plus), a rear track bar (SuperSteer), front radius rods (SuperSteer), new special damping shocks (Koni FSD shocks) and an adjustable drag link (unsure of the manufacturer). All these modifications collectively changed the handling of the RV from a huge safety hazard to a well heeled and safe handling vehicle. These changes should have been included as standard safety equipment directly from the factory. It is incomprehensible to me that a vehicle of this size should be allowed to be leave the factory and be on the road with such dangerous handling issues. If you do the research you will find many owners of these units who struggle with the same issues and who have had many near misses or accidents on the road as a result. Recreation Vehicles built on the Ford F53 chassis need to be highly regulated and inspected to ensure that they leave the factory with the safest configuration of suspension, chassis and steering equipment available. These vehicles should all be placed under a recall to have the manufacturer(s) install, at their expense, the handling modification I outlined above.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2017 Jayco Precept built on a 2016 Ford Motorhome Chassis. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, there was smoke coming from the rear of the RV. The contact pulled over to the side of the roadway and stopped the RV. The RV was towed to the local repair center, where it was diagnosed and determined that hydraulic fluid had leaked onto the exhaust pipes, causing the smoke. The contact was informed that several support welds had fractured and caused the hydraulic fluid lines to fail and leak hydraulic fluid. Additionally, the mechanic informed the contact that several support welds located at the rear of the RV had sheared off, causing the body of the RV to lower. The RV was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 29,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2017 Jayco Precept built on a 2016 Ford Motorhome Chassis. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, there was smoke coming from the rear of the RV. The contact pulled over to the side of the roadway and stopped the RV. The RV was towed to the local repair center, where it was diagnosed and determined that hydraulic fluid had leaked onto the exhaust pipes, causing the smoke. The contact was informed that several support welds had fractured and caused the hydraulic fluid lines to fail and leak hydraulic fluid. Additionally, the mechanic informed the contact that several support welds located at the rear of the RV had sheared off, causing the body of the RV to lower. The RV was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 29,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .