RecallMyCar

1997 Jayco Designer Recalls, Complaints & Specs

5 safety recalls list the 1997 Jayco Designer, and owners have filed 11 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.

5
safety recalls
11
owner complaints to NHTSA

5 safety recalls for the 1997 Jayco Designer

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

  1. Vehicle speed control

    NHTSA 06V320000 Reported 6,285 vehicles potentially affected JAYCO, INC.

    On certain motor homes built on ford chassis, the speed control deactivation switch may overheat.

    Remedy: 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.

  2. Structure

    NHTSA 01V251000 Reported 12,281 vehicles potentially affected JAYCO, INC.

    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.

    Remedy: 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…

  3. Fuses and circuit breakers (electrical system)

    NHTSA 98V122001 Reported 7,660 vehicles potentially affected JAYCO, INC.

    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…

    Remedy: 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…

  4. Structure

    NHTSA 97V113000 Reported 485 vehicles potentially affected JAYCO, INC.

    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.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the step riser assembly.

  5. Fuses and circuit breakers (electrical system)

    NHTSA 97V062000 Reported 445 vehicles potentially affected JAYCO, INC.

    An in-line fuse to the auxiliary battery was omitted.

    Remedy: Dealers will install an in-line fuse to the auxiliary battery.

11 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 1997 Jayco Designer have filed 11 complaints with NHTSA. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 30,822 miles. Complaints peaked in 2000 with 2 filed that year.

Most-reported components

What owners are reporting

“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”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, August 2, 2010 · Structure

“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 re”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, June 28, 2007 · Structure

Compare Jayco Designer model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Jayco Designer model year in NHTSA's database.

Model yearRecallsComplaints
1991 Jayco Designer20
1992 Jayco Designer20
1993 Jayco Designer10
1995 Jayco Designer24
1996 Jayco Designer23
1997 Jayco Designer511
1998 Jayco Designer32
1999 Jayco Designer36
2000 Jayco Designer55
2001 Jayco Designer30
2002 Jayco Designer41
2003 Jayco Designer20
2004 Jayco Designer12
2005 Jayco Designer20
2007 Jayco Designer30
2008 Jayco Designer42
2009 Jayco Designer21
2010 Jayco Designer31

Checking a specific 1997 Jayco Designer

How do I know if my 1997 Jayco Designer has an open recall?

Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 5 campaigns currently list the 1997 Jayco Designer; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.

Is the recall repair free?

Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Jayco dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 01V251000).

What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?

A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.

Other Jayco models

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.