1997 Jayco Designer Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Designer years
- Far more complaints than other years 1st of 15 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 5 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 11 complaints with NHTSA about the 1997 Jayco Designer. That is the most of any Designer model year in the database (15 years). The most reported problem area is tires (4 complaints, 36%), typically at around 16,766 miles. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 11owner complaints
- 5safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 0complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1997 Jayco Designer problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tires | 4 | 36% | 16,766 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 3 | 27% | 35,700 | — | — |
| Structure | 2 | 18% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 9% | — | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 9% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 9% | — | — | — |
| Trailer Hitches | 1 | 9% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1997 Jayco Designer recalls (5)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Vehicle speed control
Problem: On certain motor homes built on ford chassis, the speed control deactivation switch may overheat.
Risk: Overheating could result in smoke or burning, and in an underhood fire.
Fix: Ford is conducting this recall (please see 06v286) and will install a fused wiring harness into the speed control system free of charge. Owners may contact ford at 1-866-436-7332 or jayco at 1-800-283-8267.
Structure
Problem: Vehicle description: travel and fifth wheel trailers. The fasteners used on the underfloor can either come loose or pull through the underfloor causing portions or all of a section of underfloor to detach from the vehicle.
Risk: If this occurred, the section could fall to the pavement, potentially causing a crash for following vehicles.
Fix: Dealers will add or replace fasteners. Owner notification began september 28, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact jayco at 1-219-825-5861.
Electrical system:wiring:fuses and circuit breakers
Problem: Vehicle description: mini-motor homes, travel trailers, and fifth wheels equipped with a printed circuit (pc) board housed in the electrical control box assembly equipped with the vehicle's air conditioning unit. An electrical relay on the pc board will fail to activate. When the relay fails to activate, other electrical components, and the pc board itself, are required to carry excess electrical current.
Risk: The electrical components and the pc board can overheat, char and produce smoke, possibly resulting in a fire.
Fix: Rv products is conducting the owner notification and remedy campaign for this recall. Owners will receive a replacement electrical control box and installation instructions. If an owner so desires, they can have their dealer install this control box.
Structure
Problem: Vehicle description: fifth wheel and travel trailers. Rivets used to secure the step risers on these vehicles are the wrong size. The rivets are too short in length and under stress can allow the step treads to become unattached from the mounting bracket.
Risk: If the step riser falls from the mounting bracket while a person is stepping on it, personal injury could occur.
Fix: Dealers will replace the step riser assembly.
Electrical system:wiring:fuses and circuit breakers
Problem: An in-line fuse to the auxiliary battery was omitted.
Risk: If a short occurred in the power line from the battery without the presence of over-current protection, the 12 volt line can overheat, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will install an in-line fuse to the auxiliary battery.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Undercarriage pan/cover detachment (PE01019) — opened Jun 18, 2001, closed Aug 15, 2001, led to recall 01V251000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The 6" channel welded across the front of the fifth wheel pin box broke in half causing the trailer to drop.this is the point of attachment of the fifth wheel to the tow vehicle. The channel supports the front part of the king pin box. On removal of the sheet metal under the gooseneck part of the…
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 jayco designer. The contact received recall notice # 01v251000 (structure). For more than a year, the contact had been to three dealers and the vehicle still had not been repaired. The dealer finally received the part, but was unable to repair the vehicle at that time. No…
Dt*: the contact stated there is a recall, nhtsa campaign number 98v122001 regarding the fuses and circuit breakers. The vehicle is not having the problems associated with this recall. The manufacturer was alerted however, they were unable to determine if the vehicle was included in the recall…
Returned to motorhome from dinner with a/c on and found a coach full of smoke. Disconnected all power, traveled 2 days without air in over 100' temps. Brought coach in for repair and found online with goodsams club, 2 recalls for this unit. Nhtsa-- 98v122001. Our vin # is [xxx]. Notified jayco…
On sept.16,2002, i had a left front tire, firestone steeltex 225/75/16, tread separate from the steel belt. July 27th this year, two back duals, left side, seperated. Then on aug. 16th, 124 miles more, two more tires seperated. For as total of 5 tires with less than 19,000 miles. These tires were…
Other Jayco Designer years
← 1996 Designer · 1998 Designer →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 Designer | 1 | 3 |
| 2009 Designer | 1 | 2 |
| 2008 Designer | 2 | 4 |
| 2007 Designer | 0 | 3 |
| 2005 Designer | 0 | 2 |
| 2004 Designer | 2 | 1 |
| 2003 Designer | 0 | 2 |
| 2002 Designer | 1 | 4 |
| 2001 Designer | 0 | 3 |
| 2000 Designer | 5 | 5 |
| 1999 Designer | 6 | 3 |
| 1998 Designer | 2 | 3 |
| 1997 | 11 | 5 |
| 1996 Designer | 3 | 2 |
| 1995 Designer | 4 | 2 |
See all Jayco Designer problems by year, every Jayco model, or the VIN decoder.
Similar Jayco models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Jayco Designer?
Owners most often report tires, electrical system, structure problems. The top one, tires, accounts for 4 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Jayco Designer?
Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1997 Jayco Designer a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Designer model years, the 1997 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.