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Winnebago · NHTSA safety record

2023 Winnebago Ekko

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

32

Complaints

0

Crashes

3

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2023 Winnebago Ekko have filed 32 safety complaints with NHTSA between May 2023 and July 2026. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 17 of them (53%). The typical failure was reported at 3,000 miles, the median across the 1 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 7 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (7)

EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:ACCESSORY GENERATOR

26V257000 · April 22, 2026

Park outside until repaired

The defect
Winnebago Industries, Inc. (Winnebago) is recalling certain 2022-2027 Ekko motorhomes. The touchscreen display may register unintended or phantom inputs and turn on the generator without the operator's knowledge.
The risk
People in an enclosed space, such as a garage, with a running generator may be at an increased risk of injury or death from carbon monoxide poisoning.
The remedy
Owners are advised to park outside until the repair has been performed. Winnebago will release an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 11, 2026. Owners may contact Winnebago customer service at 1-641-585-6939 or 1-800-537-1885. Winnebago's number for this recall is 205.

Winnebago Industries, Inc. · up to 1,537 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER

24V541000 · July 18, 2024

The defect
Winnebago Industries, Inc. (Winnebago) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Ekko motorhomes. The solar charging system was incorrectly designed without sufficient over-current protection, which can allow the circuit to overheat and melt the fuse.
The risk
A melted fuse increases the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the solar controller fuse and components, as necessary free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 25, 2024. Owners may contact Winnebago customer service at 1-641-585-3535. Winnebago's number for this recall is 186.

Winnebago Industries, Inc. · up to 2,193 vehicles across all model years covered

LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION

24V024000 · January 18, 2024

The defect
Winnebago Industries, Inc. (Winnebago) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Ekko motorhomes. The blind spot monitoring system may fail without warning to the driver.
The risk
Without a functioning blind spot monitoring system, the driver may be unaware of a vehicle in their blind spot, which can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will install a new blind spot monitoring system, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed February 16, 2024. Owners may contact Winnebago customer service at 1-641-585-6939 or 1-800-537-1885.

Winnebago Industries, Inc. · up to 844 vehicles across all model years covered

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

23V307000 · April 28, 2023

The defect
Winnebago Industries, Inc. (Winnebago) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Travato, 2021-2023 Solis, and 2022-2023 Ekko motorhomes, equipped with certain Cummins Onan QG 2800i, and Onan QG 2800i EVAP generator sets. The fuel hose between the fuel filter and Injection Pump Module (IPM) may not be properly secured, which can cause a gas leak.
The risk
A gas leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the fuel hose and clamps, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed June 2, 2023. Owners may contact Winnebago customer service at 1-641-585-6939 or 1-800-537-1885.

Winnebago Industries, Inc. · up to 6,536 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

23V234000 · March 31, 2023

The defect
Winnebago Industries, Inc. (Winnebago) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Ekko motorhomes. The 12-Volt charging system may have improperly routed wires and loose electrical connections, which can overload the electrical circuits and cause damage to electrical components, including the auxiliary alternator.
The risk
Overloaded electrical circuits that damage components increase the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and correct the wire routing and electrical connections, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 30, 2023. Owners may contact Winnebago customer service at 1-641-585-6939 or 1-800-537-1885. Winnebago's number for this recall is 174.

Winnebago Industries, Inc. · up to 1,266 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:OVEN/STOVE/COOKTOP

23V049000 · February 3, 2023

The defect
Winnebago Industries, Inc. (Winnebago) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Solis, 2021-2023 Travato, and 2022-2023 Ekko motorhomes, equipped with certain Suburban Manufacturing Company (Suburban) SDS2 2-Burner Drop-in Cooktops with part number 3032AST. The internal aluminum burner tubes that connect to the gas valves may fracture and cause a gas leak.
The risk
A gas leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Winnebago will work with Suburban to repair the cooktop, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 31, 2023. Owners may contact Winnebago customer service at 1-641-585-6939 or 1-800-537-1885.

Winnebago Industries, Inc. · up to 9,720 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER:LPG SYSTEMS:LINES AND FITTINGS

22V313000 · May 9, 2022

The defect
Winnebago Industries, Inc. (Winnebago) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Ekko vehicles. The quick disconnect fittings in the LP gas system may be cracked, causing a gas leak.
The risk
A gas leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the quick disconnect fittings, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 22, 2022. Owners may contact Winnebago customer service at 1-641-585-6939 or 1-800-537-1885.

Winnebago Industries, Inc. · up to 207 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 32.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 17 53%
LANE DEPARTURE 9 28%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 6 19%
EQUIPMENT 4 13%
ENGINE 3 9%
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER 1 3%
SERVICE BRAKES 1 3%
STRUCTURE 1 3%
TIRES 1 3%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2023 at 13.

2023 2026
2023 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

ENGINE

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

NHTSA complaint 11618348, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

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

NHTSA complaint 11632228, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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

NHTSA complaint 11726205, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

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. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

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

NHTSA complaint 11698603, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

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. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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

NHTSA complaint 11643960, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Winnebago Ekko

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 15 8 —
2024 14 8 —
2022 45 10 —
2021 9 5 —

Every Winnebago on this site — 12 vehicles, 227 recall campaigns and 0 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst