2023 WINNEBAGO EKKO Recalls, Complaints & Safety

We had reported on Sat, 3/21/26 to Winnebago that we noticed our Balmar alternator had stopped charging the battery the night before on Fri, 3/20/26 during a 2.5 hour trip to Sebastapol, CA. We drove to Santa Clara, recharged batteries with shore power and then drove to Santa Cruz, CA. This morning on Sun 3/22/26, our 2nd Balmar Alternator installed by NIRVC/Las Vegas in Mar-April 2024 under the 174 Recall caught on fire. Fortunately, we were idling in a parking lot before getting on the freeway, and could hear the whining noise, smell the burning alternator, and see the smoke coming out of the engine before the fire grew too large. We were able to extinguish the fire and keep the damage limited to the Balmar alternator. Had we gotten out onto Highway 17, ours and others lives could have been severely impacted, as we likely would not have noticed nor been able to deal with the fire as quickly. We have unplugged the 4-pin wire plug from the Balmar regulator. Once we restarted the engine, a piece of plastic came flying out, and then everything started spinning freely. We were able to drive home. We have reported the fire to Winnebago and are awaiting communication as to next steps. We have video footage of the fire and vehicle is available for inspection.

Fire

We had reported on Sat, 3/21/26 to Winnebago that we noticed our Balmar alternator had stopped charging the battery the night before on Fri, 3/20/26 during a 2.5 hour trip to Sebastapol, CA. We drove to Santa Clara, recharged batteries with shore power and then drove to Santa Cruz, CA. This morning on Sun 3/22/26, our 2nd Balmar Alternator installed by NIRVC/Las Vegas in Mar-April 2024 under the 174 Recall caught on fire. Fortunately, we were idling in a parking lot before getting on the freeway, and could hear the whining noise, smell the burning alternator, and see the smoke coming out of the engine before the fire grew too large. We were able to extinguish the fire and keep the damage limited to the Balmar alternator. Had we gotten out onto Highway 17, ours and others lives could have been severely impacted, as we likely would not have noticed nor been able to deal with the fire as quickly. We have unplugged the 4-pin wire plug from the Balmar regulator. Once we restarted the engine, a piece of plastic came flying out, and then everything started spinning freely. We were able to drive home. We have reported the fire to Winnebago and are awaiting communication as to next steps. We have video footage of the fire and vehicle is available for inspection.

Fire

Balmar alternator began smoking and emitting a burning smell, also began discharging the house batteries. This condition caused us to be disabled along the roadway and entailed crawling under the vehicle to disconnect the wiring from the alternator. Unable to get immediately repaired as no Balmar replacement parts were available from Winnebago. Repairs completed December 2024 by dealer. Additional Service Campaign 75-09 on Balmar alternators May 20, 2025 to cut charging rate by approximately 50% to prevent overloading. This service also completed by dealer August 18, 2025

Reference NHTSA Safety Recall 23V-234 Just experience failure of second Balmar alternator at about 26,000 miles. Replacement of first failure was done in conjunction of above referenced safefy recall. Work was performed in March of 2024. Subsequent to the above referenced recall Winnebago issued a Service Campaign (75-09) to derate (adjust/lower alternator output settings)in order to reduce the risk of overloading the alternator. The service campaign work was completed in June 2025. Numerous other Ekko owners have experience multiple Balmar alternator failures including some that have caught on fire. I was aware of the early warning signs of problems (high pitched whine that varies with RPM's and alternator output that drops to near zero) and proactively unplugged/disconnected the alternator before potentially serious consequences arose. My situation, and those of other Ekko owners clearly shows there is a design and/or quality issue that requires corrective action.

There is a Balmar alternator installed on my Winnebago EKKOs that failed by smoking and burning. Winnebago replaced it with the same piece of equipment and it too has failed. They will again replace with another Balmar putting me at risk of fire and failure. This is totally unacceptable! Please help all us EKKO owners force Winnebago to solve this with a safe solution. Some owners have had 6 Balmars replaced! This is a known problem that is not being resolved.

The winnebago EKKO has a secondardy alternator (Balmer brand) that charges the coach Lithium battery. There is an existing Winnebago recall regarding this component , Winnebago #174 and I originally had the Balmer alternator fail in summer 2023 and it was repaired by Winnebago under the #174 recall. The Balmer alternator has now failed again as of January 2025, and is appearing to heat beyond normal. The symptom of this failure, is lack of charging of the battery during engine operation, as well as tripping of the main coach power breaker. I have disconnected the alternator to prevent any safety issues such as over heating. Others will same vehicle have reported safety issues such as overheating and potential fire. I have reported this to Winnebago customer service. But I have not had the vehicle yet inspected by Winnebago or other service center, but have an appointment with Winnebago factory service on May 12, 2025.

Hankook Dynapro HT 205/75R16C We found out when we were having the oil changed. Both front tires have steel fibers showing on 14,882 miles. Lucky we weren't on the highway. I would never have guessed that 1.5 year old tires would be this worn. Properly inflated, by the way.

Since I have picked up my Winnebago Ekko (motorhome) on [XXX] from Lichtsinn RV in Forest City, Iowa (1 mile from the factory) it has had numerous electrical fires in the kitchen and also has had no fewer than the 4 separate strains of mold growing throughout the motorhome as evidenced by the results of the mold test I did last spring. Although I have notified Winnebago Customer Care, Winnebago's CEO (Michael Happe), Lichtsinn RV and the Iowa Attorney General's office (where I have an open investigation for also being forced to pay an additional $25,000+ at the closing table or walk away after two years of waiting when I was told it would be six months) last spring when I emailed them the results, there has been NO response yet from anyone at Winnebago or Lichtsinn RV regarding these issues. I have made a video on YouTube showing the fire and mold / mold test results that will show what has been happening in my RV for most of the time I've owned it: [XXX] Finally, I should also note that I am [XXX] and am covered by the ADA Act; I can furnish proof. Because most of my health problems stem from an [XXX], the fact that Winnebago and Lichtsinn RV have left me in such a bad position with the mold in my Ekko is completely unacceptable to me. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Fire

Since I have picked up my Winnebago Ekko (motorhome) on [XXX] from Lichtsinn RV in Forest City, Iowa (1 mile from the factory) it has had numerous electrical fires in the kitchen and also has had no fewer than the 4 separate strains of mold growing throughout the motorhome as evidenced by the results of the mold test I did last spring. Although I have notified Winnebago Customer Care, Winnebago's CEO (Michael Happe), Lichtsinn RV and the Iowa Attorney General's office (where I have an open investigation for also being forced to pay an additional $25,000+ at the closing table or walk away after two years of waiting when I was told it would be six months) last spring when I emailed them the results, there has been NO response yet from anyone at Winnebago or Lichtsinn RV regarding these issues. I have made a video on YouTube showing the fire and mold / mold test results that will show what has been happening in my RV for most of the time I've owned it: [XXX] Finally, I should also note that I am [XXX] and am covered by the ADA Act; I can furnish proof. Because most of my health problems stem from an [XXX], the fact that Winnebago and Lichtsinn RV have left me in such a bad position with the mold in my Ekko is completely unacceptable to me. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Fire

Second Balmar alternator failure - this failure occurred after the recall was performed for this same issue by Winnebago at their factory. Originally purchased Sept 2022, first Balmar alternator replaced Sept 2023 along with the recall 174 being accomplished at the factory. Second failure occurred Dec 2024 after 17k miles since the recall was accomplished. This appears to be a continuing issue as many other Ekko owners have reported multiple Balmar alternator failures. Symptoms prior to the failure was erratic charging and then subsequent tripping of the 250 Amp breaker. I was unable to restore charging and disconnected the alternator at the controller to prevent any additional issues.

The contact owns a 2023 Winnebago Ekko RV built on a 2022 Ford Transit Chassis. The contact stated that the RV blind spot monitoring system had become inoperable. The contact stated that the red light on the passenger's side and the driver's side of the windshield had failed to illuminate, and the alarm failed to sound while there was another vehicle in the blind spot. The RV was taken to an RV dealer, where the blind spot monitoring system was replaced; however, the failure recurred approximately 3 months later. The RV was taken to a second dealer, Lichtsinn RV (505 IA-9 East, Forest City, IA 50436), where it was diagnosed that the exterior modules of the blind spot monitoring system were susceptible to water damage, which caused the interior of the modules to become wet and to fail. The dealer determined that the modules needed to be replaced. The RV was then taken to the first dealer, where the parts were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The RV was not repaired. The manufacturer was initially notified of the failure but had become unreachable. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.

Balmar whine has indicate to be the first step before fire starting in the engine compartment

We believe our Balmar (the second alternator that powers our Lithium batteries) failed and then created enough heat to either have a small fire or produce copious amounts of toxic smoke. This is a known problem with the Winnebago EKKOs. There has been one round of recalls for the Balmar re-wiring which we had done at the Winnebago Factory Center in Forest City, IA on November 21, 2023. We were in the parking lot at Whole Foods in Jackson, Wyoming when this happened. We opened the hood when we smelled the plastic burning smell and smoke was pouring out. People were gathering and telling us to call 911 to get the fire department out. We decided to discharge the fire extinguishers provided with our EKKO (a Kidde ABC model). If the whole thing caught fire, obviously other people and cars parked next to us would have been in danger. Yesterday, we heard a new “whine” coming from our engine and noticed that our app that measures the power coming into the lithium batteries was fluctuating way more than usual and so we suspected the system was starting to fail. We had no idea it would fail so quickly and so dangerously.

Fire

We believe our Balmar (the second alternator that powers our Lithium batteries) failed and then created enough heat to either have a small fire or produce copious amounts of toxic smoke. This is a known problem with the Winnebago EKKOs. There has been one round of recalls for the Balmar re-wiring which we had done at the Winnebago Factory Center in Forest City, IA on November 21, 2023. We were in the parking lot at Whole Foods in Jackson, Wyoming when this happened. We opened the hood when we smelled the plastic burning smell and smoke was pouring out. People were gathering and telling us to call 911 to get the fire department out. We decided to discharge the fire extinguishers provided with our EKKO (a Kidde ABC model). If the whole thing caught fire, obviously other people and cars parked next to us would have been in danger. Yesterday, we heard a new “whine” coming from our engine and noticed that our app that measures the power coming into the lithium batteries was fluctuating way more than usual and so we suspected the system was starting to fail. We had no idea it would fail so quickly and so dangerously.

Fire

Secondary alternator made by Balmer Failed after recall repair “failure of WGO’s remedy of NHTSA recall 23V234000”

After completion of NHTSA Campaign Number 23V-234, the Balmar alternator charging system on my EKKO has twice shutdown and gone into a locked state which also trips the 250A house breaker in the RV. This state disables all charging while the engine is running and also disables the house 12V system due to the breaker trip. The locked state is supposedly triggered by an alternator over temperature condition. The NHSTA campaign previously replaced this entire Balmar charging system and its wiring, however, there are still clearly issues with the post-recall system as it fails and shuts down. The safety issue here is that the Balmar system over temperature condition can lead to a fire. Winnebago has not been helpful and refers me to Balmar. Balmar is entirely non-responsive and does not answer any calls or emails via their support mechanisms.

The Winnebago installed under hood generator (Balmar brand) produced a burnt, smokey smell immediately upon starting the engine on September 22nd. The previously 3 days when the vehicle was started and driven a whining type notice was coming from the generator. This was the first time any noise from the Balmar generator was given... 18,000 miles had been put on the vehicle during the last 11 months without issues. Since this is a well known issue with the Winnebago Ekkos I knew to pull the 4 pin connection to the house battery system to prevent any fires or other issues. With the Balmar being disconnected from the battery system there is no noise or burnt smell coming from the Balmar generator. And vehicle could be driven. As mentioned, Winnebago is well aware of this issue and said they had fixed the problem when I purchased this camper RV in 2023. No one has looked at the vehicle yet but I will have Winnebago or the dealer look at it when I can get it scheduled.

See attached document for complaint

Have completed work for: NHTSA SAFETY RECALL 23V-234, had failure AFTER recall. Vehicle has 16250 miles on it. Balmer alternator failed, heavy smoke, very bad smell, no fire visible. disconnected 4pin control wire Reported to Balmer and Winnebago.

Last August 2023 we had Recall 174 completed at Winnebago’s factory service center. This was for the Balmar 2nd alternator, Regulator, and wiring harness. This morning around 6:45am upon starting the vehicle I smelled smoke. Since this is common when the alternator fails I checked our lithionics battery app to discovery we were not inputting any amperage to our house batteries from the 2nd alternator. It had burned up and failed once again (had failed last year, recall was done to fix it, and has worked since August 2023). We are not the first owners who have had the recall done and have the system fail again.

I purchased Transit 2017-2023 Front 2pc All Weather Floor Liner Tray Part Number: JK4Z1613086AA. Order #87359. Only 1 of two holes in the drivers side floor liner tray matches the fastener location in the driver's side floor liner. The passenger floor liner tray has no holes even though there are two fasteners in the passenger side floor liner for the floor liner tray. I contacted Ford Parts and offered to send pictures. The person I spoke to said the floor liner tray is correct for my VIN and there is nothing they can do. I offered to send pictures but he did not want them. I decided to keep the floor liner tray instead of return them since they fit the shape of the floor very well. Unfortunately, the drivers side tends to slip up under the gas and brake pedal.

Blind Spot Monitor System never worked from the time of purchase of this vehicle, and yes it’s available for inspection. Eventually took it to the Winnebago Factory Service Center in Forest City Iowa to be fixed in August 2023. It worked after that for about 200 miles or until the first rain and then it stopped working. I put on my turn signal to move to the left lane and there was a car in my blind spot. No warning from the BSM. Very dangerous. No warning at all. If you look at the Facebook group “Winnebago Owners And Wannabes” do a search on Blind Spot Monitor. You will find many with the same issue.

When at the Winnebago factory service center for other recalls and repairs, technicians found that the propane line going from the regulator at the tanks to the cooktop in the kitchen was worn and frayed, having rubbed against the rear tires for more than 15,000 miles. They said it was a safety hazard and had to replace the line and ensure it would no longer rub against the tires.

This motorhome is equipped with a Blind Spot Warning system. I've had the vehicle for one year. The system stopped working after 2 months and then was replaced on warranty. After 5 more months of use the system malfunctions again: it gives warnings and detects vehicles only on one (left) side of the vehicle.

System warns of Blind Spot Traffic when there are no vehicles present. When system activates during night driving in low illuminated conditions, it presents a safety hazard due to the bright indicators in the side rear view mirrors.

BSM stopped working at 5,600 miles. No buzzer, no lights. No warning. Requested an appointment at La Mesa Rv Dealer for warranty repair.

In August 2023 while driving at highway speed - without warning - a loud screeching suddenly began from the left front wheel of our 2023 Winnebago EKKO RV (built on a 2022 Ford Transit 3500 AWD chassis) - fearing a potential brake failure I took the vehicle to a mechanic who discovered a bolt from the brake heat shield had detached and was lodged between the brake caliper and rotor, the bolt had scored the rotor - the mechanic dislodged the bolt and stated he had to bend the heat shield slightly to prevent it rubbing. Approximately 2 weeks later the exact same scenario occurred with the right front wheel - this occurrence was verified & remedied by a Ford dealership. I saved this bolt as evidence. Both shops stated that this situation, if not corrected, could damage the front brakes.

BSM does not work. Lights flash randomly on most all times.

The Balmar alternator gets very hot and emits very loud high-pitched whine. Others who have reported this heat/sound without further action have reported the alternator has caught on fire.

When we purchased our EKKO in Sep 2022, the blind spot monitoring system worked, notifying us by beeping & lights on the sides of the cab if cars were in the blind spot areas. Approximately 2-3 months after we took EKKO possession, the notifications from the blind spot monitoring system stopped. Winnebago has acknowledged the problem, changing the BSM system in some newer models. We have an upcoming dealer appointment for attempted repair.

The balmar regulator/ 2nd alternator is failing and presenting a fire hazard based off of Winnebago’s own reports and other owners who have experienced fires to their Ekkos. Because of this we have had to spend a considerable amount of money getting another safe charger option (dc - dc charger wired properly and safely unlike winnebagos 2nd alternator/balmar regulator) from the primary alternator installed since we cannot rely on or use the 2nd alternator with the balmar regulator without threat of fire, serious injury, or possible death. We have not been advised on what to do to prevent this and Winnebago is not providing an actual remedy in a timely fashion (or financially reasonable to us as a owner, as we have to pay out of pocket to travel 3000 miles round trip for this repair when it is available). They need to provide guidance immediately as this is a life threatening hazard and remedy it as soon as possible, while not putting the owners lives at risk and providing compensation for owner traveling thousands of miles for the fix.

Blind Spot warning has never worked since delivery in May, picks up bushes and fences but not cars. I am attaching a poll that was done in our Facebook group that was just for the 2023 EKKOs, there are so many others that originally had this problem.

Blind spot monitoring failed, no longer works at all. Vehicle is 9 months old and 13,000 miles. This has been a very common occurrence with the last two Ekko model years. I have a 2023 Ekko on a 2022 Ford Transit Chassis. The blind spot monitoring is provided and installed by Winnebago, in 2023 Ford Chassis models Ford provides the blind spot monitoring system. Many Ekko blind spot monitoring systems have failed as indicated through other owners and through the Ekko Owners and Wannabee’s Facebook group. It appears that there is moisture contamination within the system causing a short within the control board rendering the system useless. Winnebago needs to accomplish a recall on these and install a system that will work and not constantly fail.

In 2023 Winnebago and Ford introduced a new blind spot monitoring system because the old one would fail so easily. However the new one does not work at all, and both Ford and Winnebago point fingers at each other saying it's each others fault and both sides refuse to service or even look into it. This is widespread, possibly affecting every single 2023 based EKKO.