Will Jayco Survive?

[Shackrat]

My experience hasn't been nearly as bad as some, but it also has not been good either.

2018: Brand New

1. Main living room slide binding when opening due to tight clearance. Dealer adjusted under warranty.
2. Supply plumbing under kitchen sink leaks after *every* trip. No amount of tightening seems to fix.

2019: The Year of the Exploding Shower

1. One of the radius glass shower doors had exploded while parked in the driveway. Dealer replaced under warranty after fighting with Jayco.
2. Main living room slide binding again when opening due to tight clearance. Dealer adjusted under warranty.
3. Replaced & secured water supply plumbing under kitchen sink & added shutoffs & braided whips. $60

2020: Tropical Storm Jayco

1. Severe leakage on Back Wall. Dealer replaced entire back wall under warranty. Note, back wall came in wrong color; original no longer available.
2. Front-right (Passenger) Sidewall Separation. Jayco would not authorize repairing both sides as Drivers' side showed no signs.
3. While prepping for a trip observed right propane tank falling out of compartment due to broken welds in left-hand propane storage. Dealer fixed under warranty.
4. Bolts popping through laminate floor. Dealer re-secured and repaired floor $140
5. Bathroom faucet develops annoying squeak and leak on the hot water handle. Replaced with residential faucet. $70

2021: Everything Expensive... Breaks

1. Refrigerator stops working while boondocking. Lost $200 in food. Replaced $800 cooling unit myself since warranty is up.
2. Light fixture over kitchen table falls off ceiling on the way to Maine, shatters. Dealer wants $120 to just for parts. Ordered.
3. Main living room slide binding again when opening due to tight clearance. Adjusted at campground.

2022: Carryover from last year... (At the dealer now to repair. $$TBD)

1. Front-left (Drivers) Sidewall Separation, gap so large I can put my Pinky in it.
2. Screw head pops through Laminated Fiberglass wall by Propane tanks.
3. Back Wall water leak by Microwave, after having entire Back Wall replaced by Dealer in 2020.
4. Propane Regulator Recall

My rig isn't even 4 years old and it has required a ton of repairs already. It spends most of the time at a seasonal campsite, and the remainder of the year in my driveway. We take only a handful of trips with it every season.

 

[MichaelO]

I bought my 2017 used in the summer of 2019. My first problem was with the batteries. The previous owner let them fully discharge frequently, so the batteries had enough juice in them to run the jack so I could get it hooked up to my truck. I couldn’t get the jack to operate in order to get the trailer off my hitch. I had to hook up jumper cables between my batteries and my brothers truck so I could get disconnected from it. I put new batteries in it and all was good after that. I also had a problem with the diamond plated rock panel on the front of the trailer. There was a gap between it and the fiberglass panel on the front. That was an easy fix. The furrion radio acts up every so often when listening to music over Bluetooth. The sound of music is replaced by static. The only way of stopping it is to pull the fuse to the radio. If that’s the only problems I’ve had, I seem to be pretty lucky.

 

[Randel J]

We bought our 2019 Jayco 264 BHW Rocky Mountain Edition back in September 2019. It's been in the dealer's shop twice for warranty repairs.

The first was to replace the entire roof and it was the dealer that notified us of the roof problem before we even drove it home for the very first time. It was in the shop for about 8 weeks waiting for Jayco to send the roof material. But it was late autumn, and we didn't have any camping trips planned so nothing was lost there.

The second time was October 2021 for warranty repairs on the refrigerator. It went completely out (both propane and electric) while on a camping trip and the dealer had it for a little over 2 months to repair. Again no camping trips had been planned for that timeframe due to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays so we didn't have to cancel anything.

Except for these 2 major events, our trailer has been relatively problem free. Any and all "minor" issues I take care of and fix myself because it's not worth hassling with the dealer. I just chalk it up to experience.

 

[TWP723]

It's like buying a house essentially. Every home in existence needs some kind of something done to it. It's the nature of the game. I like to think my house is in good shape but, I could probably count on my fingers and toes little things...maybe big things...that need to be done. Whenever you buy a unit of any kind to live in, it's a huge purchase. But it's not excluded from needing TLC and from stupid little things happening. More so, a moveable unit on wheels. You'll have all this aggravation and concernment for the rest of your time owning a home or RV unit. It's a ongoing journey to keep it in top shape and it never ends. Forever, we'll be messing around with our RV's and homes. I always tinker around the house and the RV, just because. As we speak, I'm remodeling the two bathrooms in our house. Last year it was garden work. This summer, the deck and garage redone. It's never ending. Yep, bought a new home in 1990. Had countless warranty repairs done. Always something breaking or wearing out. HWH went up two months after moving in. Had water in the basement the week after we moved in because the sump pump stopped. Always something...always.

 

[Grumpaw374]

We are going to pick up our new Jayco 24RL today. Had to order new as we wanted certain upgrades that we were not able to find in a used trailer.
Hesitant..of course. But our dealer, Obaugh RV Sales in Staunton, Va, a local independent, has a very good reputation, and is and sells Jayco's exclusively (aside from used trade ins).
They spend 2 days just going over and prepping each rig, so we're hoping for a trouble free purchase.
That being said, I expect, after a few break in trips, to find a few items that need a fix...hopefully small stuff that I'll be able to fix myself.
Over the last 50 years, we have had 6 travel trailers and 2 motor homes, some used but mostly new. Knock wood, not considering little stuff, they have been mostly trouble free.
We're hoping our luck holds with the Jayco.

 

[JesseS]

We purchased our Alante in 2016 so just beat the buyout by Thor, we still had a hand full of issues, mostly small or cosmetic, one major one was the coach falling off of the jacks when the overhead bunk was lowered. Turned out to be a relay was mis-wired. Warranty covered most and I fixed the rest. Recently had the entire dash go bad, caused the e-brake light and chime to stick 'on', and the loss of cruise control. This was a $1,000 repair, (by Ford) and was covered by our Good Sam extended warranty, as was the power step motor burnout. Now it is just maintenance and upkeep (which is no small thing), we will not be getting another coach as this one should last us until we are off the road (I am 73). But knowing how the market has been and will be for a few years at least I would never buy new, get a well maintained used rig that has had all of the gremlins fixed.

 

[flyingaggie]

Is there not a lemon law protection with RV's?

As Grumpy said, it varies by state. I know in Texas there is. RV's (whether towable or drivable) are included under the Texas vehicle lemon law, which only requires 2 attempted repairs of the same item within 12 months to be considered lemon.

I should say that's what used to be in Texas in 2010 (haven't looked lately). I had to use it in 2010 for my first towable I bought (wasn't a Jayco). I will say, the process is not for the faint of heart. You definitely have to be willing to be a pain in the backside of both the dealer and manufacturer....and have to be very persistent too.

Good luck with your situation! I've had 3 warranties over the years after buying new RV's. After the first one, I consider them possibly nice for major work (side falls off, axle falls off, etc). But for anything else, I don't even bother. I just fix it myself as I got tired of not being able to use the RV for months at a time while it sat waiting to be repaired at the shop.

Tim

 

[soonergypsy]

per OP title " will Jayci Survive"

Based on the OP's tittle yes the will survive. The parent company has many lines. They will make the decision of what brand to keep. Total brand volume and profit will decide what stays and goes. Quality is low on the totem pole for parent company, unless quality makes a major hit on volume and profits.
John

 

[JaycoBP]

2021 was a banner year for the RV industry in many ways. From record profits to record supply chain problems, everyone's head seems to be spinning. I purchased a brand new 264BHW last August. I camped in it once. It has been in the shop 3 times, the third time was in November of last year. It's still there. It has literally spent more time waiting for repair than in my possession.

The trailer was delivered without functioning brakes. I had the power center (fuse box/converter assembly) fall out and sit on the floor. The refer is waiting to be replaced entirely because flame would shoot out the side when I tired to run it on propane because it was damaged during install at the factory. The AC will only run on high. The ceiling panel was not fastened to the roof in places. There were numerous cosmetic issues including half dollar size gouges in the walls from the factory.

I know we all have horror stories about issues with our rolling earthquakes, some worse than others. We all also heard that dealers were up in arms about the quality of product delivered last year. There are rumors floating around that Thor Industries may be shutting down under-performing divisions.

I have to wonder: Will I soon own an orphaned RV? Will the warranty that came with my trailer be worth anything in 6 months? What else will I find that falls apart when I take it out for its second trip, and will I get it fixed before the trailer is out of warranty?

I'm seriously wondering if I made a really bad decision buying what I did when I did.

Any thoughts?

I feel for you! We had a new 2018 thor class C. It spents like 8 months in the shop. They ended up replacing the whole fiberglass back of the camper. We moved down south . I noticed the floor was soft in 1/2 the camper. Took it to another dealer down here. Ended up being the floor underneath was all rotten. Of course thor didn't want to know anything but had to do with the leak in the back. Traded it in for a thor greyhawk and took a big hit. Sad to see thor take over jayco. Hopefully jayco don't follow thor

 

[CBCOCRBO]

Fact is it goes by state. In Arizona there is.


This again is like another thread where I said many of these issues are not necessarily Jayco. There are so many parts in the RV that are supplied by other companies that slamming the RV company is not fair to them unless you look at the construction of the box and not the parts in it.

If that is your philosophy then would you say the same on a new car purchase that was a lemon. Would you not go after the primary manufacturer/dealership. Who worries about the maker of the faulty component. Thats on the manufacturer of the final product. TT's like cars get hundreds of parts from hundreds of suppliers. Just saying

 

[Hollander Mutthaulers]

My 2017 had some issues which were promptly repaired and for the most part stayed repaired. Thanks, Terry Town, you really treated me well! I think mine was the first Thorjayco 16XRB and it came with a couple very disappointing changes, especially Thor plastic wheel wells vs the Jayco galvanized steel. That was a huge selling point and was on the Jayco I checked out at the factory and ordered. Two months later I got my plastic Thorjayco. I complained of course, but Thor simply said we make what we want and don't care what you got - screw ya!

After several years of building on the basic idea of a trailer provided by Thorjayco, I have a really nice, well-built, sturdy trailer that's just right for me. I'm happy with my choice of Jayco because of the two-year warranty, it came in handy, and the 7-foot width. Other than that, Thorjayco didn't do anything to instill a sense of loyalty to their brand.

 

[FLButler3]

….Now I will say this, if you are handy fixing stuff it makes life so much easier than always going back to a dealer for little stuff. Even if it cost a few bucks in parts it's cheaper than wasting my time and gas going for warranty work

This 1000% times. My husband and I have owned 4
RVs over the last 15 years, 3 of them Jayco brand. We are firm believers in fixing it ourselves as long as it won’t void the warranty. We have a new Jayco 2021 5th wheel and absolutely love our RV. We have had a few minor issues that we have had to take it in for, but these were all related to suppliers of the accessory items such as fridge, awning, antennae and stereo. All these parts are Furrion so it’s their issue not Jayco. No issues with build quality on our coach at all. We love it.
I do think that many people buy RVs and expect the service to be the same as a car, which it certainly is not. Any time we have to put our unit in for service we know it’s going to be a lengthy process, so we only do that when absolutely necessary.

 

[SpaceGuy85]

Short answer no, there isn't.

Depends on the state. Here in Texas, yes!

 

[Raines]

The TT / RV landscape is littered with defunct companies that tried to build a better product. But in the end, customers repeatedly voted with their wallets. They chose low price over high quality and most of those companies are gone. So as long as Jayco keeps their prices low the customer will continue to buy their products, no matter the quality.

^^^^^^THIS RIGHT HERE!!
Nobody to blame but the consumer..US!! Just like everything else, everyone wants to save a buck. So consumers are drawn to the cheapest thing possible no matter the cost down the road because it's all about now, now, now.

 

[Grumpy]

The TT / RV landscape is littered with defunct companies that tried to build a better product. But in the end, customers repeatedly voted with their wallets. They chose low price over high quality and most of those companies are gone. So as long as Jayco keeps their prices low the customer will continue to buy their products, no matter the quality.

^^^^^^THIS RIGHT HERE!!
Nobody to blame but the consumer..US!! Just like everything else, everyone wants to save a buck. So consumers are drawn to the cheapest thing possible no matter the cost down the road because it's all about now, now, now.

And since JAYCO is moving 40,000 plus units a year I doubt THOR will shut them down. That's 800 a week on average. That is actually part of the problem. Too many, so the occasional bad ones slip out the door.

 

[cr125250]

2021 was a banner year for the RV industry in many ways. From record profits to record supply chain problems, everyone's head seems to be spinning. I purchased a brand new 264BHW last August. I camped in it once. It has been in the shop 3 times, the third time was in November of last year. It's still there. It has literally spent more time waiting for repair than in my possession.

The trailer was delivered without functioning brakes. I had the power center (fuse box/converter assembly) fall out and sit on the floor. The refer is waiting to be replaced entirely because flame would shoot out the side when I tired to run it on propane because it was damaged during install at the factory. The AC will only run on high. The ceiling panel was not fastened to the roof in places. There were numerous cosmetic issues including half dollar size gouges in the walls from the factory.

I know we all have horror stories about issues with our rolling earthquakes, some worse than others. We all also heard that dealers were up in arms about the quality of product delivered last year. There are rumors floating around that Thor Industries may be shutting down under-performing divisions.

I have to wonder: Will I soon own an orphaned RV? Will the warranty that came with my trailer be worth anything in 6 months? What else will I find that falls apart when I take it out for its second trip, and will I get it fixed before the trailer is out of warranty?

I'm seriously wondering if I made a really bad decision buying what I did when I did.

Any thoughts?

I concur with your statement. My 2019 jayco precept has seen 5 months in the shop in 18 months ownership. I question my decision as well

 

[Jack N Janet]

My 2 Cents

I bought a Jayco Hummingbird 17FD new in Jan 2018. Only had one small leak in the left side roof rail which the dealer fixed in a day. It's been great ever since. Quality is just luck of the draw, I got lucky. Knock on wood. I hope your RV is back in service soon. Once you start having fun all the bad times will be forgotten. Hang in there. Happy camping!!

 

[CENVALLEYSTEEL]

Sold the 2019 Jayco. Bought a 2022 Forest River.

'Nuff said.

 

[Buffflyer96]

We all like should have some mechanical ability when owning a an RV, but OP’s issues are beyond fixing a leaking drain. Fire shooting out of the Fridge is not something he should be working on.

My experience with my x23B has been fair. Had to have some things fixed, but they did it all in one visit that took three weeks (waiting for parts), and I’ve been able to fix a few other smaller problems. Overall I’m very happy with it as a hybrid and the unique floor plan

Have said that, I do have an orphaned trailer, as Jayco stopped making their hybrids…so yes I’d say the day will come when they don’t make your model any more and you’ll have to go to the forums exclusively for help. Good luck!

 

[Raines]

To the OP, I would definitely not only make sure all things were actually fixed that you took it in for but go ahead and and run through all your systems and check every single thing you can think of while it's still there before you take off with it. I know how pushy some places can be when it is time to pick up your rig but that is the time to just take your time and go through it all. I spent over 2 hours going through my Redhawk 29xk when I bought it and they were not happy but I made them hook it all up and I went over everything I could think of. I would the same thing after it comes out of the shop in your case.