WINNEBAGO Complaints

Brand new 2025 Winnebago Ekko after only 6,000 miles... The Winnebago installed Balmar Alternator Started Burning & Smoking rendering the vehicle unsafe to drive.

October 10, 2025. The vehicle is a 2022 Winnebago EKKO RV on a 2021 Ford Transit with 49,000 miles. The incident occurred after driving the vehicle for about 5 minutes with outside temperatures around 50 degrees Fahrenheit and noticed an unusual high pitch whine. When I opened the hood the Balmar MC-618 Alternator unit was extremely hot, smoking, and had a strong burning smell. Since the EKKO models have had numerous reports of secondary alternator/Balmar malfunctions I knew enough to disable the alternator by unplugging the 4 pin connector on the Balmar 618 regulator before traveling any further. The following morning I plugged the Balmar unit back in and the whining sound and burning smell immediately returned. There is a NHTSA Safety Recall 23V-234, Campaign # 174 EKKO 12V Charging System, sent out by Winnebago for this very safety issue due to fires. This recall was completed during the time that the original owner had this 2022 Winnebago EKKO (prior to our purchasing this 2022 Winnebago EKKO in June 2024). There have been numerous failures on Balmar units that have had the campaign #174 recall completed, including ones performed at the factory. The Winnebago fix is obviously not working and is still an extreme fire issue.

Trim panel affixed to roof blew off during travel. The panel was not attached to the roof very well - the glue used to attach it in the manufacturing process failed. The part is Winnebago part number 329370-01-CHT. Part description: PANEL-TRIM, FRT CAP, LH. The failed part could easily have caused severe injury to another driver. The problem is a known issue that has been reported by hundreds of View owners. The part has not been inspected by anyone of the entities listed in the bullet point of your General Guidelines. There was no warning preceding the failure.

Tires on this Winnebago EKKO 23B 2025 model year, purchased in April 2024 are the original tires, never removed or repaired. These tires are Hankook Dynapro AT2X all terrain tires, size LT215/85R/16. These tires have only 10,600 miles and from the photos you can see the tread is in excellent condition. The tires have a TPMS that showed accurrate recommended PSI before our trip from New Hampshire. Road conditions were clear, temperature in the mid-70s on Saturday, October 4th. We had traveled only 117 miles when the rear outside dual tire on the passenger side failed. No warning. A side wall blow out (see photos). We were able to pull into a gas station in Williston VT. Tire technician from local Town Fair Tire changed the tire to the spare and confirmed an unusual side wall blow out as pictured. All tires on this motorhome are the original and identical tires, with the exception of the driver's side rear outside dual tire which was replaced with an identical tire after the failure I reported in April of this year (VOQ#11657901). There were no warning sounds or TPMS signals before this most recent failure or the earlier one in April 2024.

The 59G travato bedframe (zomi) weld broke while laying on the bed resulting in us falling off the bed. Could of been much worse. Others in Facebook groups and forums have had the same issue with beds breaking at the same weld which is at the end of the bed. Contacted Winnebago and they said nothing they can do. Case:00432260

The secondary alternator on our 2023 Winnebago Revel failed and caught fire. Fortunately, it happened when the vehicle was stopped so the fire was quickly put out and the damage limited to the alternator itself and the belt that ran the alternator. Had the failure happened in motion, a broken belt could have completely disabled the van, possibly endangering other traffic. Had we not noticed and extinguished the fire immediately, it could have consumed the entire vehicle and spread to the surroundings. This issue of faulty secondary alternators is well-known to Winnebago. Our unit was a warranty replacement of the original and we had recall work done on it as recently as July 15. The recall work only involved changing settings on the alternator's regulator and did not address what is a failure mode of the hardware itself.

The contact owns a 2014 Winnebago Tour. The contact stated that the turn signals were dim and not bright enough while driving at night. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V733000 (Exterior Lighting). The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and confirmed that parts were on backorder. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000. The VIN was invalid.

SUMMARY: Propane leaks from outside LP hose when factory zip-tie failed resulting in LP hose detached and damaged from rubbing against the tire. 2022 Winnebago EKKO. DETAILS: RV has a LP hose that routes above the passenger side rear tires from the propane tanks to other locations of the RV. This hose was held back from the rear tire at two locations each with a thin metal tab and a single plastic zip-tie. One of the zip-tie failed, resulting in the LP hose rubbing on the tire when driving. The rubbing made a hole on the hose and propane leaked from the hole. I was cooking next to the RV at a campground when propane was leaking from the damaged hose. The leak could have caused an explosion and serious injury to anyone nearby. The design to use plastic zip-tie to keep the LP hose from the tires is unsafe. I have taken photos of the damage and reported this incident to Winnebago customer service via email on 9/11/25. This issue was not reported to the police or insurance company due to no injury. Prior to the propane leak there was no warning or message or other symptoms of the problem. Problem first appeared during a camping trip in late July 2025 when I was camping at White River campground in Mt Rainier National Park in WA.

Upon return from vacation, the Onan generator was found to be running. It had self started and ran for 80 hours while we were gone using about 12 gal fuel. The generator was NOT on when we left 12 days prior. There was no evidence of bugs in the RV coach that could have contacted the touch screen to start the unit. This is a Winnebago Ekko, Ford Transit body, 2024 purchased Jan 2024.

NOTE: The VIN shows as a 4x2 Sprinter, but this vehicle is a 4x4. While driving, the engine suddenly caught fire. Within one minute, flames approximately 10 feet high were coming from the motor. This is the second Winnebago Ekko reported to catch fire in such a dramatic way. One fire extinguisher was not enough to put out the blaze. The fire was extremely intense and caused catastrophic damage. The vehicle is currently at Mercedes awaiting inspection. However, more than three weeks have passed and the inspection has not yet been scheduled. Mercedes will not allow anyone else to examine the vehicle, and they have not responded to my emails. I am requesting an independent inspection, as I am concerned Mercedes may seek to avoid accepting liability. Can anyone help with that? I am not sure what to do.