2024 WINNEBAGO EKKO — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.