Sway command recall

[Campin4Ever]

Originally Posted by RAurand

NHTSA Campaign ID: 16V560000

Manufacturer:

Jayco, Inc.

Model Year:

2016

Make:

JAYCO

Model:

JAY FLIGHT

Recall Date:

20160727

Component:

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL

Potential # of Units Affected:

3085

Summary:

Jayco, Inc. (Jayco) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Jay Feather, Jay Flight, Jay Flight SLX, Eagle, White Hawk, and Octane travel trailers manufactured January 5, 2016, to July 18, 2016, equipped with a Sway Command anti-sway system. When connected to certain tow vehicles that have an integrated brake controller, and after the anti-sway system has applied the trailer brakes in response to a sway event, the trailer brakes may no longer function to slow or stop the trailer.

Consequence:

A loss of trailer brakes may lengthen the distance needed to stop the vehicle and cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy:

Jayco will notify owners, and dealers will remove the Sway Command system from the affected travel trailers, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Jayco customer service at 1-800-283-8267. Jayco''s number for this recall is 9901308.

My Notice from Jayco was a bit different, and I have an aftermarket brake controller.

[Kim Gass]

Originally Posted by Wannabe

Check out the note on this page. I'm going to keep mine since it's not affected.

Sway Command Travel Trailer Tow Control Technology

However what would your liability be if you sold it down the line to someone who had an incompatible brake controller in their tow vehicle or you bought a new tow vehicle.
Would you still get reimbursement for removing it on new vehicle purchase?

[Campin4Ever]

Originally Posted by Kim Gass

However what would your liability be if you sold it down the line to someone who had an incompatible brake controller in their tow vehicle or you bought a new tow vehicle.
Would you still get reimbursement for removing it on new vehicle purchase?

I have rec'd my recall notice and called Jayco. I didn't like what I heard as I thought the "SWAY COMMAND" feature was really neat thus helping me make my decision to purchase a 2016 Jay Flight SLX. Bottom line is Jayco wants all "SWAY COMMAND" systems off of ALL their trailers. It doesn't matter what you tow it with per Jayco. There is NO remedy to fix this Lippert disaster except to remove it. It has been deemed UNSAFE. Well I'm not keeping something UNSAFE on my new trailer. Therefore I have disconnected mine per the instructions that came with my recall, and scheduled it to be removed at my local dealership. The $375 is just a buyout. I have an e2 Round Bar Sway Hitch system anyways, so I'll take the money, and enjoy a good road trip.

[Kim Gass]

I am flummoxed. Our Sway Command works fine with our tow vehicle.. Our TV does not have anything other than an aftermarket brake controller
Moreover we have received no notice of any recall at all and no instructions. Youd think Jayco would be more proactive.
Did Jayco send out notices selectively?

[norty1]

I think they are just covering themselves for the liability issues down the road. Say you use it without any problems then trade it in next year and the new owner has a different tow vehicle.

They and you could be exposed to liability issues everywhere.

[norty1]

Originally Posted by Kim Gass

I am flummoxed. Our Sway Command works fine with our tow vehicle.. Our TV does not have anything other than an aftermarket brake controller
Moreover we have received no notice of any recall at all and no instructions. Youd think Jayco would be more proactive.
Did Jayco send out notices selectively?

I would get in touch with Jayco and get it clarified asap.

[Mikey]

Everyone needs to make their own decision on how to handle this recall, but having spoken at length with both Jayco and Lippert here is what we plan to do.

First, both companies are currently supporting the recall, regardless of whether your vehicle or brake controller are deemed "compatible" or not. As Norty says, this isn't surprising given the high turnover in the RV industry - neither company wants a Sway Command-equipped trailer to be resold to someone who does NOT have a compatible TV/controller and then gets injured or killed.

Second, Lippert does not currently have a strategy for fixing the compatibility issues - they seem to have been caught flat-footed. If they had a plan, the recall would have involved bringing in trailers for software/firmware upgrades, etc. Without a repair plan, the only way to protect consumers and avoid liability is to recall and uninstall the system.

That said, Sway Command can be safely DISABLED by simply removing the main cable into its controller junction box, and Jayco has furnished these instructions to owners. We can all operate our trailers safely by following those instructions. That's a big relief to us. It's fast, easy, and doesn't impact an owner's ability to tow their rig with confidence and enjoy it until they can get to a dealer for the recall.

But we don't plan to immediately bring ours in for the uninstall. Our reasoning is that this is a reasonably new recall and we'd like to see whether Lippert comes up with a successful strategy to save Sway Command. As a Jayco rep told me, "we don't yet know what Lippert will do, but we have to think they're working on it given the high demand for this technology and its potential in the market." We tend to agree with that assessment.

Since we're not traveling for several weeks (and also can't get into a dealer for weeks), we have time to watch and see what develops, and if we NEED to travel we'll simply disable Sway Command and still be safe - our WD hitch gives us the confidence to tow without it. We never get even the HINT of an uncontrollable sway event. In fact, we bought Sway Command just to provide one more level of protection against the unexpected, like encountering a sudden high wind weather event. But we can survive safely without it, just as RV enthusiasts have for 75 years!

Still, we'd LIKE that extra protection against the unexpected, so our hope is that Lippert will eventually come up with a solution that allows us to again enjoy the benefits of Sway Command. But regardless of what develops, for now we certainly won't sell our trailer to someone else or operate it with Sway Command enabled (even though Lippert says our F-150 is compatible) because Lippert service reps told us by phone that they are encouraging FULL compliance with the Jayco recall. In our view that supersedes their online compatibility assessments. Of course, it's an NHTSA-level recall, so they can't say otherwise.

In closing, we're NOT advising anyone to ignore the recall - we certainly aren't. But again, we can wait a few weeks to see what develops. If they DON'T come up with a fix that allows us to keep the system, we'll have it uninstalled and cover the holes in our front diamond plate with a smiley face sticker.

[ryang]

I talked with the dealer and Jayco about the recall. Jayco said not removing sway command would Not void my warranty. I have an aftermarket trailer brake.
I personally like sway command

[Kim Gass]

I am wondering how long it takes Jayco to send us a recall notice.. or the dealer. So far nothing.

This could impact future sales/dealer relations.

Even though Sway Command works for our tow vehicle with an aftermarket brake controller.

Or did we not spend enough on the TT? It was new but hardly pricey.

[Mikey]

Kim,

We didn't get ours until two days ago by snail mail, and that was only after complaining last week to Jayco customer service. Here's the email I sent them:

"My 2017 White Hawk 28DSBH is subject to the Sway Command recall which is now a week old and could supposedly result in a fatal accident. I'm aware of it only because I'm active on the Jayco Owner's Forum. No one from Jayco has contacted me by phone, email or U.S. Mail regarding this serious recall.

I reached out to your customer service department on 4 August by phone and was told I would promptly receive written instructions on how to safely disable Sway Command and receive a refund of $375. I prefer to disable the system myself as my selling dealer is 105 miles away and I don't plan to drive an unsafe trailer that distance.

It's been a week, no instructions. Please provide me with written instructions immediately on how to proceed with this recall and receive my refund. Thank you."

The fellow who responded by email was solid, polite and understanding. Small consolation, however, for a defect that has life threatening implications.

[Campin4Ever]

Originally Posted by Mikey

I just spoke with Sean at Jayco customer service reference the Sway Command recall. He just now received a copy of the notice that Jayco is sending to owners with Sway Command, and he read it to me over the phone.

Bottom line - Jayco is advising ALL customers to disable/remove Sway Command, regardless of whether Lippert says it's compatible with your tow vehicle/brake controller or not. Jayco is not yet confident enough in Lippert's findings to advise otherwise. Since they've obviously been burned pretty good by this Lippert failure, I can't say I blame them.

Sean said this is a situation that is going to continue to develop and that the company's guidance may change, but for now the letter advises making an appointment at your Jayco dealer to have Sway Command removed at no cost to you. You will then be refunded $375. The company's instruction letter also says that it is furnishing instructions to owners so that they can safely disable Sway Command on their own if they don't want to go to a dealer/dealer is hundreds of miles away (that's my situation).

The question I had that can't yet be answered is "if I disable it myself, do I get the refund, and if so do I have to return the Sway Command components to get it?" There's a difference between "disabling" and "uninstalling" and I'm not looking forward to removing the Sway Command indicator from my front cap and staring at the now pointless mounting holes - ugh.

Sean said to expect the letter of instruction any day now. He advised disabling/removing regardless of tow vehicle because "It's better to err on the side of caution" when it comes to trailer brakes. I agree, but I'm also hoping I can disable the system, hold onto the components, and then at some date in the near future reactivate it IF Jayco and Lippert can BOTH assure me that the system will work safely with my tow vehicle.

Guess we all need to stay tuned...

I am struggling with that very issue too. My 2016 JAYCO JAY FLIGHT SLX was manufactured in April of 2016 which falls under a letter I saw posted earlier. I have an aftermarket PRIMUS IQ that is on the Lippert "OK" list. My recall letter states at the top "This Notice Applies To Your Recreation Vehicle: Then lists my VIN number". It doesn't list any manufacturer dates at all. However, it does state "... with the Sway Command system are connected to certain tow vehicles with factory installed integrated brake controllers...". Which I do not have. Then it says "Our records show your trailer has the Sway Command installed and must be removed." So I have it disconnected, but I am hesitant to have it removed until JAYCO sends out a letter stating "All JAYCO Trailers with the Sway Command system installed MUST have them removed regardless of tow vehicle". Does that make sense?

[Kim Gass]

We have no recall letter. We just called our dealer who is totally unaware of the recall

[Mikey]

Originally Posted by Kim Gass

We have no recall letter. We just called our dealer who is totally unaware of the recall

Kim, wow - that's approaching criminal - how are they still unaware of a potentially life threatening safety recall after almost 3 weeks? So sorry your dealer/Jayco have dropped the ball on this. If nothing else, it proves the wisdom of being a forum member!

[BuddyRay]

I just received my copy of this months Trailer Life. Guess who has a full page ad for what product.
I know magazines book ads way in advance but I also know a company can do an emergency ad replacement.
Wondering if Lippert is still selling this aftermarket.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[norty1]

Originally Posted by Kim Gass

We have no recall letter. We just called our dealer who is totally unaware of the recall

I think the key word in your post is TOTALLY UNAWARE. How could a Jayco dealer not know about this?

[Kim Gass]

Originally Posted by norty1

I think the key word in your post is TOTALLY UNAWARE. How could a Jayco dealer not know about this?

Because Jayco did not tell them. They are a small family run operation. And they only sell Jayco to boot..

I blame it on the Corporation.

[Campin4Ever]

Originally Posted by Mikey

Kim, wow - that's approaching criminal - how are they still unaware of a potentially life threatening safety recall after almost 3 weeks? So sorry your dealer/Jayco have dropped the ball on this. If nothing else, it proves the wisdom of being a forum member!

What a mess... Lippert seems to provide JAYCO with a lot of pieces & parts. Thank God for a 2 year warranty. I wonder if there is a class action lawsuit lurking out there? Thor might regret having bought JAYCO.

[bansai]

They removed my anti-sway system before I took delivery. My TT was the first one they had performed the recall on. It took them about 25 to 30 minutes. They added 2 new reflectors to the front of the TT. One where the old sway sensor was (it left a hole when removed) and another one on the opposite side. Glad I don't have to worry about it. Apparently my truck in particular is one that has been known to not behave well with the Jayco anti-sway stuff. It's more complicated than just unhooking the anti-sway sensor. They spent most of the time re-wiring.

Edited to add - I knew about the recall before they did. I read about it on the forum here first... 5 days before my dealer had received the recall notice themselves. When they did the service on mine, their lead 'tech' informed me that they had just received the recall notice 'yesterday'. He was the only person on staff that even knew about it.

[rb2boxer]

I have the Sway Command on my 16 Eagle and disabled it myself per the instructions they sent. I called Jayco today and they told me there is no way I can get reimbursed the $375 by doing it myself, I must take it to the dealer. She said there is paperwork the dealer needs to fill out. I told her to send me the paperwork and I'll fill it out and send back whatever parts they want. She said that was not possible.

Its pretty frustrating because my dealer's service dept which is an hour away (not bad I know) is not open on Saturdays so I would need to do it during the week and take time off of work. I paid for something that is useless and now unless I lose more time and money, I get nothing. Not sure what I will end up doing.....just venting more than anything

[Mikey]

Originally Posted by rb2boxer

I have the Sway Command on my 16 Eagle and disabled it myself per the instructions they sent. I called Jayco today and they told me there is no way I can get reimbursed the $375 by doing it myself, I must take it to the dealer. She said there is paperwork the dealer needs to fill out. I told her to send me the paperwork and I'll fill it out and send back whatever parts they want. She said that was not possible.

Its pretty frustrating because my dealer's service dept which is an hour away (not bad I know) is not open on Saturdays so I would need to do it during the week and take time off of work. I paid for something that is useless and now unless I lose more time and money, I get nothing. Not sure what I will end up doing.....just venting more than anything

I feel the exact same way. I'm just going to leave it disconnected for now...I still think there will be an eventual resolution that allows us to use it safely in the future.