Looking to buy recalled RV. Should I offer less, or run?

Dear Dave,
We are thinking about purchasing this unit at ~$95k (35,000 mi., sales price $99k), but recently found out it is a warranty buyback unit from Jayco. Almost ALL of the recall/warranty issues were electrical, several re the Renogy battery/inverter system. We went to the dealer (Buda, TX) yesterday and the unit was on shore power. We noticed SoC on panel was at ZERO, so I have BIG concerns about the Li battery and system in general. Should I walk away completely, or throw out another offer (maybe $90k?) and hope for the best? Thank you! —Tom

Dear Tom,
Recalls are common and happen in every manufacturing industry from batteries to the recent Tesla recalls. They are often not a huge safety issue or reason not to purchase a unit that has had one or more recalls. However, you indicated it was a “warranty buyback,” which indicates it might be a lemon law issue, as most manufacturers will not buy back a unit due to recalls.

Buying a buyback unit

Whether to consider a “buyback” unit can be a real hit-and-miss, depending on the state, dealership, manufacturer, and the actual defects. There are several states that have a very strict law regarding the time it takes to correct the defect. If there is a scheduling conflict within the service center, or delay in parts due to supply chain issues, then it would need to be repurchased even though the defect might be minor and not a cause for concern. That would make this type of unit worthy of consideration.

Most of these recall issues look to be a simple update of firmware or wiring and connections that would not warrant a lemon law case, in my opinion. However, if they were not taken care of in a certain time frame, it would. This does not mean it is a lemon, rather it was not addressed immediately and fell into the time frame which was a common issue due to supply chain issues and getting into a service center.

State of charge issue

I would talk with the service manager regarding the state of charge (SOC) being at zero when the unit is connected to shoreline power. It may just be a switch on the inverter or something simple.

I cannot advise what to offer in price. However, I wouldn’t necessarily run away without discussing the issue with someone as it seems to be a good price.

With all the new technology being installed into these units and combining lithium with inverters and chassis components, we have seen a high number of recalls—and not just with Jayco. I would be interested in what the service manager has to say.

I’m not saying these recalls were trivial and the issues were not a safety concern; otherwise, there would not have been NTSHA recall. It’s just that these seem to be an easy fix that did not require extensive parts and long repairs.

However, if you don’t feel comfortable with the response and the fixes, offering less money is not the best solution, in my opinion.

Breakdown of recall issues on this RV

For those of you that would like to dig deeper into the recall issue and the repair, let’s take a look at the recalls listed on this Warranty Buyback Notice.

Recall 23V-081 MB Update Park Lock Function

According to the bulletin provided by Mercedes-Benz and Jayco, here is the description of the defect:

A component of the vehicle’s park lock system might fatigue, which can cause the parking pawl not to engage and result in a vehicle rollaway. This may increase the risk of a crash. Mercedes-Benz reminds drivers to always follow the parking instructions in the vehicle’s operator’s manual, including setting the park brake.

Here is the recall service required:

An authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer will update the software of various control units (Direct Select Module, Electronic Ignition Switch Module, Electronic Stability Program Module, and Transmission Control Unit) on the affected vehicles, free of charge. The repair will take approximately 1 hour.

According to the recall documentation, this procedure was performed.

Recall 24V-160 Renogy Battery Pack 24E-005

The Renogy 210Ah Smart Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery relay contactors may become stuck in the closed position. Relays that are stuck in the closed position increase the risk of a fire during battery charging.

Here is the recall service required:

The remedy is now available and consists of an inspection and software update of the Renogy battery that will prevent the battery relay contactors from becoming stuck. If the battery already has a stuck relay contactor, the battery will be replaced. The remedy will be performed at no cost to you and should take less than one hour to complete.

TSB 22-075 A/C Electrical Connection

WAGO connector installed instead of Blue wing-nut connector inside the roof air conditioner.

The WAGO connector is a slide-in and push-on connector. My electrical technician contact stated that although they are much faster to install and look more advanced than the old school wire nut, they have a tendency to provide less contact surface. That could create an issue with high amp draw components such as a roof air conditioner.

What is confusing is the terminology in the Jayco recall notice. The WAGO connectors are either a 221 or 231, depending on the number of wire slots. You can see the two versions in Fig. 3, below,  from the Jayco recall bulletin.

The confusion comes from the description of the blue wire nut, which is called out in the parts description but is referred to as a Blue Wing Nut throughout the procedure. These are 120-volt wires and the blue screw-on wire connector is available in the standard wire connector or one with tabs on the sides which are referred to as “wings”. So, the technical description should be Blue Wing Nut Wire Connector.

TBS 22-076 Firefly Terminator G4 Tap Connection

Communication error within the lithium battery.

Here is the recall service required:

Replace with new terminator G4 Tap

TSB 23-101 USB Flash Drive

This one is confusing, as the official NHTSA recall for TSB 23-101 and the Jayco recall bulletin has the description of Front Spotlight Electrical Update. I am not sure what a flash drive would have anything to do with an RV. However, I never say never when it comes to RVs.

According to the recall, here is the issue:

Current on the spotlight is pulling higher amps than acceptable causing issues with Firefly.

The recall service requires removing the driver seat and upgrading the wiring and connectors to the front spotlight with the following parts.

2 – CONNECTOR, SPLICE 3 WIRE CLR PLSTC WAGO 12-24GA

2 – CONNECTOR, SPLICE 2 WIRE CLR PLSTC WAGO 12-24GA

1 – HARNESS, WIRE LIGHTBAR W/RELAY

1 – SWITCH, RKR DASH SPST O/F HELLA SPOTLIGHT

1 – HOLDER, FUSE IN-LINE 14GA BLUE

TSB 23-120 Renogy Inverter Settings

Issue reported on recall bulletin:

Renogy recommendations on updated Inverter Settings:

The service required is resetting the inverter parameters.

TSB 23-123 Alternator 200A Fuse

Issue reported on recall bulletin:

Replace 300A MRBF Fuse with a 200A MRBF Fuse.

Part required – 1 FUSE,200A MRBF

TSB 24-015 Renogy battery firmware update

Issue reported on recall bulletin:

Renogy Battery Firmware Update to address alternator not charging battery.

Service required:

Renogy sent an analyzer and jumper cable to dealers to verify the firmware version and a link to download the Renogy firmware file to upgrade.

 You might also enjoy this from Dave 

What advice would you give to someone buying a used RV?

Dear Dave,
We are about to purchase a Starcraft Launch Ultra Lite travel trailer to go full-time. We’re in our 60s. We need alllllll the information on what to know before buying this used unit, please. What are the most important things to check out in order to buy this RV? Thank you! —Lynn

Read Dave’s answer.

You may also enjoy these questions Dave answered

• Do ‘Tire Saver Ramps’ prolong the life of RV tires?
• Why did the lithium battery explode and flame up?
• Plugged RV’s 30-amp shoreline cord into 50-amp outlet; now RV won’t run
• How long will an RV 12-volt refrigerator run with two batteries?
• Can I tow a fifth wheel with a 1/2-ton pickup?

Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”

Read more from Dave here. 

HAVE A QUESTION FOR DAVE?

Send your inquiries to him using the form below.

##RVDT2616