Inside Range hood Fan FAILURE Access 30BH Travel Trailer

[JK05]

Inside Range Hood Fan **FAILURE ALERT**

We were using our inside range hood vent fan this past weekend when it started making grinding sound. While this noise was occurring, smoke began emitting from the fan area. It had the smell of electronics burning; assuming the motor failed. We were inside when this occurred and immediately shut the fan off, opened all windows and vents to ensure the trailer aired out. We kept on eye on the fan area to make sure nothing further occurred.

On the Access 30BH, the range hood vent does not vent outside, but to the inside. I imagine this is the case for most of the Access units but not sure. We are trying to get a hold of the dealer regarding this issue so the unit can at least be replaced. However, we will most likely only use the nearly useless 4" ceiling vent fan (upgrade to MaxxAir in future) in the kitchen when cooking.

Has this occurred with anyone else?

[Morich]

Yes, this can be a fairly common thing. But there are some info about the RV missing. One is the age and what has been done on cleaning the filter?

There is often a filter that should be cleaned to help it keep stuff going through it off the motor area.
If there is a filter there and it gets clogged with grease or gets too old and not working well, grease from cooking can collect on the motor. When it becomes too much, the motor can't cool and sometimes even has trouble running. That can lead to a spiral where the motor gets hotter than it should and there is grease to smoke!

Possible the motor is still okay or possibly needs replaced but I would first check it and clean it, also make sure the filtering is in good shape.
It's often a fairly common little vent fan motor to replace if it is that far gone!

But that is jumping to the idea that it is an RV with some age. Not true if the RV is a new one and the fan is just defective!

Hope for best but be prepped for worse?

[JK05]

This is a new RV, 2024 Access 30BH, purchased in April of 2024. The fan has been used a handful of times since bought new.

Those are good points and will check. However, given it's age and use, this would equate to cleaning the filter and checking the fan every few uses (5 or so). If that is what is needed, then we will add that to our post trip cleaning list.

On a side note, our previous RV of 3 years (used many times), did not have an issue like this, granted it vented to the outside which may have helped. We did clean the filter every year.

EDIT: The filter was cleaned before this last trip when the issue occurred.

[Morich]

Originally Posted by JK05

This is a new RV, 2024 Access 30BH, purchased in April of 2024. The fan has been used a handful of times since bought new.

Those are good points and will check. However, given it's age and use, this would equate to cleaning the filter and checking the fan every few uses (5 or so). If that is what is needed, then we will add that to our post trip cleaning list.

On a side note, our previous RV of 3 years (used many times), did not have an issue like this, granted it vented to the outside which may have helped. We did clean the filter every year.

EDIT: The filter was cleaned before this last trip when the issue occurred.

That new info throws my idea out the window! We never know what we are dealing with until we get more info!
On that new, it sounds like defective equipment and needs warranty work.
That can put it back into a really bad place as wait times are so long at most dealers.

Sometimes I have to wonder if I own my toys or they own me!
I spend way too much time taking care of them!

I currently have no RV and it is a nice break from taking care of one for so many years.
Only once every few months we think we might want to go somewhere but then the last trips we took were not at all pleasant as we met so many people who simply did not want to be nice!

[JK05]

Our dealer advertises drive through repair work, do not need to unhitch or leave; they will repair while you wait. We will see if this could be one of those situations but I do not want to leave it for weeks, other trips are planed through Oct, so leaving is not really an option. If I need to address on my own, I will. I just read on another forum that someone's Access 25ML just had a water pump failure. Makes me wonder if they are putting the cheapest components in these things to make them pass the final walk through.
They do require attention but we greatly enjoy the memories that are being made while traveling in one. We also get to stay in places within the outdoors that we might not otherwise see if staying in a hotel. That is unfortunate regarding your interactions. I would say that the majority of the time, the people we meet on our travels are nice and considerate.

[creativepart]

Originally Posted by JK05

I just read on another forum that someone's Access 25ML just had a water pump failure. Makes me wonder if they are putting the cheapest components in these things to make them pass the final walk through.

One thing to note... Winnebago revised the old Access model name in 2024 for a "new" travel trailer. The entire goal for this new TT was to create a new lower-price product in a larger TT size. It's one thing to make an inexpensive 16' "starter" TT but quite another to make a 26-30' line of travel trailers at a very competitive (low) price.

This shouldn't mean that it's assembled with less reliable parts or put together more quickly with less quality control, but one assumes that when cutting costs to make a low price point product something has got to give.

Certainly, you spent good, hard-earned money to buy your travel trailer and you have every right to expect it to be a quality product.

To give you an idea of the relative price difference in the new Access. A comparable 26' Minnie Travel Trailer lists at $54,761. While a 26' Access lists for $29,600. A $25k difference in list price.

PS. To give you a heads up on your model's name history, between 2007-2013 the Winnebago Access was a Class C motorhome. It was discontinued in 2013. 11-years later Winnebago introduced the Access Travel Trailer. The name hints at the pricing strategy. A lower cost mid-to-large travel trailer to make it easier to access for families. When discussing your Access RV you may run into some confusion about which RV you are speaking of - an older Class C motorhome or a brand new Travel Trailer.

[JK05]

When we purchased the new Access 30BH, we understood the reasoning behind the model of allowing first timers easy access into this line. We purchased the unit as it was 8'-9' longer than our previous one (RPod 193) that we outgrew (family of five). We did not want to nor could we spend the extra $25K for a more upscale Minnie. We understood that we would have stick/tin vs. fiberglass and other cost saving features. We liked that we could choose a TV of our choosing and that there were no speakers inside or outside (or radio head unit). Bottom line, I would still expect the core components (pumps, fans, slides, ect.) and quality of construction to be consistent throughout Winnebago TT but that has proven otherwise. For example, the face of one of our cabinets fell off when pulling out the drawer; only about 3 of the 20 staples used made it through the drawer into the drawer face. We will have to reinforce all of these with some short screws to prevent other drawer faces from coming off. We have wall panels that are bowing, even after the dealer tried to resolve. There is a long list of other issues that we plan to have the dealer address at some point. We also understand and have experienced that the lack of quality is not limited to just 1 or 2 brands, but more so industry wide. So much so that consumers are tired of it: just look at BTBRV Operation RV Star Program aimed at pushing RV manufactures to improve their quality.

I have been trying to use the Access 30BH naming to ensure others understand it is the TT model vs. the Class C but will start to include the year as well to avoid confusion.

[creativepart]

It is a shame how the RV industry treats their customers. I think dealers and manufacturers know that low prices sell RVs, period. To them it's all about moving "units" off of their lots and there is no better way to do that than to throw buyers a BIG TT with a small price.

Winnebago has done this off and on with motorhomes, too. And mostly those models have been short lived.

At least you went into this with a reasonable expectation of what you were purchasing. I think manufacturers are hoping to capture first time buyers that have not shopped around and just wander on to the lot and find a large family sized TT for a low price.

We have seen other owners that have no frame of reference for their purchase and think that one Winnebago is essentially the same as any other. While the manufacturer doesn't feel that way about their different models at all.

One thing is sure, whether you buy the cheapest TT in the lineup or the most expensive there are no guarantees that you'll luck out and get a trouble free ownership experience.