- The problem
- Jayco, Inc. (Jayco) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Precept motorhomes built on Ford F53 chassis. The hydraulic lines may have been incorrectly routed too close to the exhaust without a heat shield.
- The risk
- Incorrect routing of the hydraulic line can cause the line to melt from the exhaust heat, resulting in a loss of braking, increasing the risk of a crash or fire.
- The fix
- Jayco will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and correct the hydraulic line routing as necessary and install a heat shield, free of charge. The recall began November 14, 2019. Owners may contact Jayco customer service at 1-800-517-9137. Jayco's number for this recall is 9903440.
Vehicle safety record
2017 Jayco Precept Problems, complaints & recalls
Owners have filed 7 complaints about the 2017 Jayco Precept with NHTSA, most often about the visibility & wipers (3) and the engine & cooling (2). Those complaints describe 1 fire. It is covered by 4 recalls, the latest in October 2019 for the hoses, lines / piping, and fittings. For comparison, the 2016 has 5 and the 2018 has 4.
NHTSA data checked
CAbout as many problems as a typical Precept year, for its age
#227 most complained-about 2017 vehicle
- Complaints
- 7
- Recalls
- 4
- Crashes
- 0
- Fires
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Deaths
- 0
Most common 2017 Jayco Precept problems
Share of all 7 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.
2017 Jayco Precept recalls 4
Recall repairs are free. Your dealer fixes them whether or not you bought the car there - check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if yours is done. What to do
- The problem
- Jayco, Inc. (Jayco) is recalling certain 2014-2019 Precept, 2016-2019 Alante and 2019 Precept Prestige motorhomes built on a Ford F53 chassis. The blower motor electrical circuit may be missing the 25amp fuse, possibly resulting in overheating of the wiring.
- The risk
- If the wiring in the circuit overheats, it can increase the risk of fire.
- The fix
- Jayco has notified owners, and dealers will install a 25amp fuse, free of charge. The recall began April 16, 2019. Owners may contact Jayco customer service at 1-800-517-9137. Jayco's number for this recall is 9903432.
- The problem
- Jayco, Inc. (Jayco) is recalling certain 2017 Precept motorhomes. The brake Hydraulic Electronic Control Units (HECU) on these vehicles may be missing valve block ball plugs, potentially causing a brake fluid leak or air ingestion during electronic brake distribution and/or ABS activation.
- The risk
- A brake fluid leak or air ingestion can lengthen the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- The fix
- Jayco will notify owners, and Ford dealers will inspect the hydraulic block and replace the HECU if the ball plugs are present, free of charge. The recall began on February 16, 2018. Owners may contact Jayco customer service at 1-800-517-9137.
- The problem
- Jayco, Inc. (Jayco) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Alante and Precept motorhomes manufactured October 13, 2014, to June 23, 2016. The affected vehicles have a driver seat that may loosen and detach from the seat base as a result of the seat having been swiveled around.
- The risk
- If the seat detaches from the seat base while vehicle is being driven, the operator may lose control, increasing the risk of a crash.
- The fix
- Jayco has notified owners, and dealers will install a jam nut on top of the seat base nut, free of charge. The recall began on August 16, 2016. Owners may contact Jayco customer service at 1-800-283-8267. Jayco's number for this recall is 9903310.
What owners say
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7 complaints about the 2017 Jayco Precept
Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners.
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...
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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.
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...
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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.
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.
The exhaust is melting the rear wheel liner and damaging the rear wheel
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
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...
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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
When traveling at highway speed'with the windshield wipers on high speed, the driver side wiper blade an arm lift away from the windshield, slamming back down when it reaches the far left end of its travel. The wiper arm lifting from the windshield results in restricted visibility as there is no clearing of the windshield.
Jayco Precept: every year compared
All Precept years2017 Jayco Precept vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Jayco Precept | 7 | 4 | C | |
| 2017 Jayco Alante | 7 | 3 | C | Compare |
| 2017 Jayco Greyhawk | 4 | 3 | D | Compare |
| 2017 Jayco Seneca | 2 | 1 | B | Compare |
| 2017 Jayco Redhawk | 1 | 3 | B | Compare |
| 2017 Jayco Embark | 1 | 0 | A | Compare |
| 2017 Jayco Melbourne Class C | 1 | 0 | A | Compare |
| 2017 Jayco Jay Flight Bungalow | 1 | 1 | C | Compare |
More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.
Questions about the 2017 Jayco Precept
Does the 2017 Jayco Precept have any recalls?
Yes - NHTSA lists 4 recalls for the 2017 Jayco Precept: hoses, lines / piping, and fittings (October 2019); fuses and circuit breakers (April 2019); antilock / traction control / electronic limited slip (January 2018); seats (July 2016). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours has been fixed.
What are the most common problems with the 2017 Jayco Precept?
By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the visibility & wipers (3), engine & cooling (2), brakes (1).
How many complaints has the 2017 Jayco Precept had?
7 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on October 3, 2018 and the latest on August 4, 2025. Of these, 0 describe a crash and 1 a fire, and together they report 0 injuries and 0 deaths.
Is the 2017 Jayco Precept a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 53 out of 100 (grade C: about as many problems as a typical Jayco Precept year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.
Which Jayco Precept years have the most complaints?
2021 (9), 2017 (7), 2020 (6). See every Jayco Precept year compared.
What should I do if my 2017 Jayco Precept has a problem?
If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data