79 of the 172 complaints filed about the Winnebago Ekko are about the electrical system — 46% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2022.
79
Complaints
46%
Share of all complaints
0
Crashes
22
Fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Brakes went out while driving on 77n. In viginia. Once we were anle to get to the side of the road realized we were on fire. Ford dealership determined the fire burnt the brake lines boiling fluid pushing it back through master cylinder knocking out my brakes.
NHTSA complaint #11757112 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
After starting the vehicle I noticed an unusual whine. After a few seconds of idling I noticed that it smelled like something was on fire. I turned off the vehicle and began looking for smoke. I did not find it. After a little research I discovered that it is a very well known failure that the Balmar alternator on Winnebago EKKOs fails catastrophically, sometimes catching on fire. I followed instructions to disable the Balmar. I let the vehicle cool completely. I restarted the vehicle and let it idle for a long while and the whine and the smell never returned. I used the Lithionics app to confirm that the batteries were not being charged while the engine was idling.
NHTSA complaint #11749007 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
After starting the vehicle I noticed an unusual whine. After a few seconds of idling I noticed that it smelled like something was on fire. I turned off the vehicle and began looking for smoke. I did not find it. After a little research I discovered that it is a very well known failure that the Balmar alternator on Winnebago EKKOs fails catastrophically, sometimes catching on fire. I followed instructions to disable the Balmar. I let the vehicle cool completely. I restarted the vehicle and let it idle for a long while and the whine and the smell never returned. I used the Lithionics app to confirm that the batteries were not being charged while the engine was idling.
NHTSA complaint #11749007 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1. An ATP connector on a solar charging system experienced a high resistance event and started a smoldering fire. It melted the connector and about 24" of 10 gauge wiring. It also melted the fiberglass roof material under the connector. The event was observed on Sunday morning, April 19, 2026 at approximately 9:30 am. It occurred while parked in our driveway. We disconnected the solar panel that was feeding this wire to remove the resistance to the system and stop the damage from spreading. 2. Had we not seen the smoke, a major fire could have destroyed the RV and endangered our house. 3. Problem was reported to the manufacturer who seemed most concerned that the RV was no longer in warranty. The damage was observed and repaired by a factory authorized service center on Monday, April 27, 2026. 4. There were no warnings.
NHTSA complaint #11737377 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Driving down road started to smell smoke like burning electricity. Pulled over and opened hood. Secondary alternator smoking and inside vents there was red-hot burning of medal and near combustion. Belt running secondary alternator also split in two and denigrated. Very dangerous. I already preformed recall to lower amperage but his still happened. Many owners for same model Winnabago Ekko 22a with Balmar alternator have reported same.
NHTSA complaint #11726420 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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.
NHTSA complaint #11726205 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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
NHTSA complaint #11712318 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The second alternator, Balmer, used to charge the lithium batteries overheated and failed. It is located under the hood near the engine. It made a whining sound and failed to charge. I took it to Camping World in Marysville and they said the sound was “normal” and preformed the deregulation . A few months later, I brought it back and after insisting on inspection and calling Winnebago, they said it had failed. This is the second time it has failed. I am still waiting for a replacement as Winnebago says they are back ordered. I am now without a charging system, but at least my vehicle didn’t catch on fire like others have. This is an unacceptable problem that Winnebago refuses to remedy.
NHTSA complaint #11707214 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
The second alternator, Balmer, used to charge the lithium batteries overheated and failed. It is located under the hood near the engine. It made a whining sound and failed to charge. I took it to Camping World in Marysville and they said the sound was “normal” and preformed the deregulation . A few months later, I brought it back and after insisting on inspection and calling Winnebago, they said it had failed. This is the second time it has failed. I am still waiting for a replacement as Winnebago says they are back ordered. I am now without a charging system, but at least my vehicle didn’t catch on fire like others have. This is an unacceptable problem that Winnebago refuses to remedy.
NHTSA complaint #11707214 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The 2024 Winnebago Ekko Ford Transit base includes standard a second alternator in the engine bay manufactured by Balmer and installed by Winnebago to charge the house batteries, in this case two 320amp batteries manufactured by Lithionics. A service recall was completed by Winnebago Authorized Dealer in 6/2025 to reduce the charge capacity based on prior failures and fires in the alternator. Our vehicle has 26,000 miles and have had no indication of failure. After an 80 mile drive, we smelled burning electrics and smoke came from under the hood. I applied a fire extinguisher from underneath on the alternator to stop the burning and disconnected the alternator from the electrical system. I am aware of this happening to many additional owners via a group forum. Ultimately, it appears Winnebago has change suppliers of this alternator, but those with the original are subject to this risk. Also, many have replaced on their own or outside of the dealer network due to the lengthy time to replace so they need to have a mechanism to reimburse for those expenses. Thank you.
NHTSA complaint #11702351 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
The 2024 Winnebago Ekko Ford Transit base includes standard a second alternator in the engine bay manufactured by Balmer and installed by Winnebago to charge the house batteries, in this case two 320amp batteries manufactured by Lithionics. A service recall was completed by Winnebago Authorized Dealer in 6/2025 to reduce the charge capacity based on prior failures and fires in the alternator. Our vehicle has 26,000 miles and have had no indication of failure. After an 80 mile drive, we smelled burning electrics and smoke came from under the hood. I applied a fire extinguisher from underneath on the alternator to stop the burning and disconnected the alternator from the electrical system. I am aware of this happening to many additional owners via a group forum. Ultimately, it appears Winnebago has change suppliers of this alternator, but those with the original are subject to this risk. Also, many have replaced on their own or outside of the dealer network due to the lengthy time to replace so they need to have a mechanism to reimburse for those expenses. Thank you.
NHTSA complaint #11702351 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
The 2024 Winnebago Ekko Ford Transit base includes standard a second alternator in the engine bay manufactured by Balmer and installed by Winnebago to charge the house batteries, in this case two 320amp batteries manufactured by Lithionics. A service recall was completed by Winnebago Authorized Dealer in 6/2025 to reduce the charge capacity based on prior failures and fires in the alternator. Our vehicle has 26,000 miles and have had no indication of failure. After an 80 mile drive, we smelled burning electrics and smoke came from under the hood. I applied a fire extinguisher from underneath on the alternator to stop the burning and disconnected the alternator from the electrical system. I am aware of this happening to many additional owners via a group forum. Ultimately, it appears Winnebago has change suppliers of this alternator, but those with the original are subject to this risk. Also, many have replaced on their own or outside of the dealer network due to the lengthy time to replace so they need to have a mechanism to reimburse for those expenses. Thank you.
NHTSA complaint #11702351 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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.
NHTSA complaint #11698603 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
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.
NHTSA complaint #11698603 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
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.
NHTSA complaint #11697235 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The Balmar alternator installed on our RV, which provides electrical power to charge the coach battery started a noticeable whine at idle, it stopped providing a charge to the coach battery, and upon further inspection, after opening the hood, we noticed a faint burning electrical smell. To confirm that the Balmar alternator was failing, I checked its electrical output to the battery, and it was not charging. I then proceeded to unplug the regulator for the alternator to see if the whine and smell were still present. They were not. Since the whine was not present with the Balmar alternator unplugged, the burning smell had dissipated, and no charge coming from the alternator when plugged in, I determined it was starting or already failed. Knowing that there have been multiple reports from other owners that their EKKO's caught fire or had severe smoke coming from the engine compartment, that was later found to be the Balmar alternator, I made the decision to leave it unplugged. I was concerned about our safety and the real possibility of a fire if we continued with it plugged in and running. This just happened to us so we have not had it looked at by a dealer or independent service center yet, but we could make it available for inspection upon request. Please note, this is the second Balmar that has failed on us in our four year ownership of this RV, and we have a friend that has had five Balmar's fail on him! Winnebago needs to be held accountable and should be required to remove and replace the Balmar alternator from all owners RV's and replace it with a more suitable and capable alternator that will provide the secondary power they advertise when they sell this model to consumers.
NHTSA complaint #11697004 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Brand new 2025 Winnebago Ekko after only 6,000 miles... The Winnebago installed Balmar Alternator Started Burning & Smoking rendering the vehicle unsafe to drive.
NHTSA complaint #11693325 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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.
NHTSA complaint #11692854 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
On [XXX] while driving my 2025 Winnebago Ekko 23B at elevations between 5,000 and 6,000 feet, the vehicle repeatedly lost engine power and stalled under specific conditions, creating a significant safety hazard. The issue occurred when the house batteries were below 100% charge, the engine was at idle or low RPM (below 1,250), and the secondary alternator began charging the Lithionics battery system, causing RPMs to drop below 500, complete loss of propulsion (unable to move forward or reverse), and occasional activation of the check engine light with codes P0506, P3002E6, and P30059B. This happened four times, including twice when attempting to pull out from stops, which could have resulted in a collision if traffic had been present—imagine suddenly stalling in an intersection with family aboard. The problem resolved at lower elevations (below 2,000 feet) or when maintaining higher RPMs before charging initiated, but it was reproducible every time the conditions were met at altitude. Despite diagnostics at a Mercedes-Benz dealership , where systems were cleared and no faults found (suspecting the Winnebago-installed secondary alternator), and repairs at the Winnebago Factory Service Center in Forest City, IA , where the Wakespeed regulator was unnecessarily replaced and the issue blamed on Mercedes (suggesting an unsubstantiated "learning mode" at elevation), the root cause remains unaddressed. This defect, reported by multiple other Ekko owners in online forums and directly to Winnebago, violates Mercedes upfitting guidelines against drawing alternator power below 1,200 RPM and poses an ongoing risk of sudden power loss in traffic or on highways. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11675984 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Alternator failing repeatedly due to overheating
NHTSA complaint #11664523 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.