2024 WINNEBAGO EKKO Complaints

The Balmar alternator is going bad on my 2023 transit on my 2024 Winnebago Ekko. It is starting to whine which in the past leads to a fire in the engine compartment on others units. It is recommended to pull the 4 wire plug that goes Balmar regulator in the lithonics battery compartment, which I did to prevent any additional damage. So without the Balmar unit the batteries will only charge plugged into shore power. A Winnebago group recommended reporting this problem to NHTSA Thank you.

The second alternator, manufactured by Balmar and installed by Winnebago, failed. It began producing an audible whine whose pitch and volume corresponded approximately to engine RPM. The power output from the alternator began dropping, eventually reaching about 10-20% of normal. Additionally, after some time (several hours of driving), an odor of burning plastic was detected. At that time, we stopped the vehicle and disconnected this alternator, and the whine and odor has ceased since. No smoke or fire was detected, but we do suspect damage to the alternator, and have left it disconnected in the interest of safety. The primary alternator in the Ford chassis does not appear to be affected, only the secondary Balmar alternator installed by Winnebago. Note that a previous NHTSA recall applied to this vehicle model for apparently similar issues, but our unit was manufactured subsequent to and was not subject to that recall. We have service scheduled with a service center in the near future, but at this time have not yet had the system inspected or the problem confirmed by any other party.

The Zamp solar charge control panel 30 amp fuse melted. The wires got very hot. The solar charging system is overheating and susceptible to fire. We believe Winnebago is aware of this issue and is documented under NHTSA Campaign Number 25V-541. We were made aware of the potential problem by a Winnebago users Facebook group. When we opened the panel to inspect the fuse, it was melted so much that we cannot remove the fuse. We weren't aware of a problem due to any symptoms. The Balmar alternator and MC-618 regulator overheated and caused the 250 amp circuit breaker to blow and then the alternator went into a lock out state. The alternator is not charging the Winnebago batteries now which impacts how we can use the RV. We cannot unlock it ourselves and there are numerous reports of this happening after Winnebago recall 174.

Fuse for Zamp controller on 2024 Transit Ekko class C camper melted and caused a fire. Due to insufficient oxygen, the fire luckily self-extinguished.