2020 Ford Transit

My Balmar 2nd alternator on my Winnebago Ekko has just failed. This is a Winnebago installed electrical system component mounted in the Ford Transit chassis engine bay that provides electrical charging to the RV coach batteries. There was an initial NHTSA Safety Recall 23V-234 issued in 2023 after numerous Balmar units failed; in some cases the Balmar unit failure caused a fire in the engine bay. I had the Safety Recall work performed in July 2023 by authorized dealer Dennis Dillion RV in Boise Idaho per the attached invoice and the Balmar charging system had been working well until now. I am aware that there are ongoing reports by other Ekko owners of the Balmar alternator failures reoccurring after the Safety Recall work was performed, and in some cases even after Balmar 2nd alternators' were replaced, which suggests the initial solution provided by the Safety Recall was not sufficient to prevent a failure. Within minutes of starting to drive my RV today I noticed an unfamiliar whining sound from somewhere under the hood that I had not heard before and immediately checked my coach batteries while driving a short distance and went from the batteries discharging significantly to not charging at all. I opened the engine hood and had smoke visible and a strong burning smell coming from the passenger side of the engine bay where the Balmar unit is located. I was very concerned about the potential for an engine bay fire, but fortunately was very close to my home, so my RV is now parked in my driveway. See attached screenshots showing the initial voltage discharge while driving and then the batteries not getting any charge while under power. Also attached is the Recall 23V-234 repair instructions. I plan to unplug the Balmar alternator to prevent the potential for a fire while awaiting a response from Winnebago how to proceed. Despite the NHTSA Safety Recall having been performed, there are reports of alternator's failing and risk of vehicle fires remains.

In march 2024 my vehicle unexpectedly cutoff on [XXX] heading into wash. Dc. Called a tow to my mechanic and had the alternator and battery replaced. Mechanic noticed that the vehicles battery light remained and investigated further. After amonth in the shop we observed that components were utilizing battery power when the system should be off. We heard mechanical diagnostic sounds, and the battery would not maintain a charge after being driven. Upon getting it home and a day later upon jump starting again and when i began to turn the wheel, a violent jerking response came from the steering column. Cheched the dash and several popup windows had to be closed. AWD, BATTERY, and low fuel. There was also the wrench light on the dash itself. Went on the Ford forum and many others were describing the same issues, mainly battery drain. I thought i had disconnected the cargo area lights only to find out i did disconnect part but not them all only to further discover Ford engineered the vehicle where most of the features that were described in the forum not so accessible such as the fuse panel 'fuse 32' because theres no clear indication of where that is exactly on the diagrams. Ive have pretty much used the vehicle on occasions where im moving my equipment. As of september, i received a letter from fords "Customer Satisfaction Program" in which i responded only to be told from Bannister Ford that the Software Update that would fix High-Torque launches would not be installed because the battery light was on. Now to me, this sounds like a catch-22 because the issue is with their electrical design where if one problem occurs they have a fix but you wont get it until you fix the prom (ideally with them). all the while I'm setting up the appointment im being served ads for add-on services. Its october 2024 and i am just sick of this van. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Transit. The contact stated that whenever it rained, the door seal towards the rear of the passenger’s side sliding door was leaking. The contact stated that the leak was allowing water to accumulate in the pillar located at the rear on the passenger’s side. The contact stated that the pillar was filling nearly to where the pillar joined the ceiling. The contact stated that water was forming puddles on the floorboards and was draining from the pillar. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer but had not had the vehicle diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the contact had observed that the seam on the roof of the vehicle where the two roof panels were joined was also showing extreme deterioration of the caulking; however, there was no water leaking into the vehicle yet. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 3,100.

I have encountered an issue multiple times now on multiple Ford Transit vans. The "lug wrench" included with the vehicle as part of the spare tire tool kit does not allow me to remove the lug nuts. I am a Fleet customer and I own many Ford Transit AWD vans. When they are brand new, the spare tire lug wrench barely reaches the lug nut as it is not a very deep socket. After a couple of tire rotations I believe the lug studs possibly stretch slightly and the lug wrench tool no longer reaches the lug nut. This issue has caused my drivers to be stranded multiple times. I believe it is an oversight by Ford and it should be addressed. Thank you

We own a fleet of these vans and 5 out of the last 7 purchased from 2020-2023 have had total rear brake system failure. The calipers are not retracting and are overheating and freezing up the rear brake system. In some cases leaving our employee(s) stranded on the side of the road in the middle of winter storm waiting to get towed putting their safety at risk. The problem has been reproduced as it has happened on 5 of the last 7 vehicles we purchased. Our local Ford dealer has inspected these issues and we contacted the Ford Consumer phone today - spoke with Rena at Ford on 6/19/24 at approximately 2pm - 2:15pm PDT. No warning lamps or message alerts. Brakes are making a squeaky noise and hot smell prior to seizing. We have had to pay thousands of dollars for some of these repairs and towing. We wanted to alert Ford and you as we are noticing an alarming trend. In speaking with Ford Motor Company, they correlate this issue as a maintenance issue but if it was a maintenance issue, the front brakes would have failed before the rear. I will be completing this form for the additional VIN numbers. Thank you.

We own a fleet of these vans and 5 out of the last 7 purchased from 2020-2023 have had total rear brake system failure. The calipers are not retracting and are overheating and freezing up the rear brake system. In some cases leaving our employee(s) stranded on the side of the road in the middle of winter storm waiting to get towed putting their safety at risk. The problem has been reproduced as it has happened on 5 of the last 7 vehicles we purchased. Our local Ford dealer has inspected these issues and we contacted the Ford Consumer phone today - spoke with Rena at Ford on 6/19/24 at approximately 2pm - 2:15pm PDT. No warning lamps or message alerts. Brakes are making a squeaky noise and hot smell prior to seizing. We have had to pay thousands of dollars for some of these repairs and towing. We wanted to alert Ford and you as we are noticing an alarming trend. In speaking with Ford Motor Company, they correlate this issue as a maintenance issue but if it was a maintenance issue, the front brakes would have failed before the rear. I will be completing this form for the additional VIN numbers. Thank you.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Transit. The contact stated that on several occasions while in reverse(R), the rearview camera became static, blue, and black and failed to work as intended. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the rearview camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Transit. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the rear camera unavailable message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was unable to be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle had been taken to the dealer several times because of the persistent failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was informed about an unknown recall however, the VIN was not associated with the recall. The contact was advised to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.

The Vehicle head light comes on while the vehicle head light switch is at off position and when you hit the remote on off button the light turns off. And later comes back on again . And at night driving the light goes off and on some time .it just black out on road can we get advise if this is recall issue since we seen many customers having complaints about the same issue on website and also on ford forums

Windshield wiper motor, working only in high speed, found overheated ground wire, melted insulation for approximately 1 foot of wire. If dry leaves were nearby there would be a possibility of a fire. Replaced wiper motor and wire harness work done by Brewster Ford in New York found that the new motor has not been updated which means this problem may happen again went on Google website found many owners having same problem. As you can see from the wiper motor connector, there is a pin that shows signs of overheating the wiper motor was the cause of the problem as the wiper motor was drawing excessive current