Truma has QC issues….

[Ralph Mawyer]

Called Truma Svc in Austin. He said they were told it was not a Truma recall and that it had to go to Oliver service for repair. He agreed he could functionally  do it, but didn’t know details. Very confused, given how few RV places have Truma experience. Have call into Svc. 

[John Dorrer]

18 hours ago, Ralph Mawyer said:

Called Truma Svc in Austin. He said they were told it was not a Truma recall and that it had to go to Oliver service for repair. He agreed he could functionally  do it, but didn’t know details. Very confused, given how few RV places have Truma experience. Have call into Svc. 

Best to contact Oliver. I believe a number of owners have had Oliver Dealers and Truma approved RV places do the work. 

 

I thought the letter was pretty thorough. We are getting ours done at the Mothership Monday.

[Rivernerd]

2 hours ago, John Dorrer said:

We are getting ours done at the Mothership Monday.

This likely means that the replacement burner units have been received from Truma.  Please report the results. 

[John Dorrer]

3 hours ago, Rivernerd said:

This likely means that the replacement burner units have been received from Truma.  Please report the results. 

There was a small allotment received from Truma, and they were assigned to people with scheduled maintenance. 

[John Dorrer]

We had our Truma burner unit replaced yesterday. Oliver is only getting 15-20+/- burner replacements every 3-4+ weeks.

 

It is going to be a long process. As their letter stated you can get it done by an approved Truma repair company and Oliver will reimburse you.

 

Oliver was very proactive on this and unfortunately a number of Owners have been disrespectful to Oliver Service.

 

Just hook up and go camping. Things will get done.

[John and Debbie]

On 2/20/2025 at 7:49 AM, katanapilot said:

 

We plan to turn our water heater off every night and turn it back on in the morning until the warranty work is done.  Most likely the water heater will work fine.  If it doesn't, then at least we don't waste months waiting for the repair and have a fire while sleeping.  Hopefully you let Oliver know if your unit was one that needed the new burner assembly so you're at least in line.

John

Edited February 22 by ScubaRx

[katanapilot]

1 hour ago, John and Debbie said:

We plan to turn our water heater off every night and turn it back on in the morning until the warranty work is done.  Most likely the water heater will work fine.  If it doesn't, then at least we don't waste months waiting for the repair and have a fire while sleeping.  Hopefully you let Oliver know if your unit was one that needed the new burner assembly so you're at least in line.

John

We never intentionally leave the water heater on when sleeping or when not in the trailer.  That's not the point though.  If the defective burner is a fire hazard - then we probably shouldn't be using it at all.  The failure mode and likely outcome of a failure hasn't been clearly communicated.

And yes, we notified Oliver the day after we received our recall notice.  Unfortunately, these notices were sent out in batches and not in order of affected hull numbers.  So no idea where we are on the list.

"Just hook up and go camping" is a "let them eat cake" kind of response, in my opinion.

[Galway Girl]

On 1/18/2025 at 9:01 AM, Galway Girl said:

Burner unit shown below only has end 2 tabs bent to crimp unit to frame.  This is the old design being recalled

I'll repost this picture to illustrate the purpose of the recall.

The recall is for water heater burner assemblies manufactured in the date range of the recall.
Those burner assemblies only had the two END burners crimped to the frame.   (See below pix.)

The result is after many miles of vibration or less on rough roads, the burner tubes are susceptible to falling out out of the frame.

When that happens, gas from the feed orfice that is no longer aligned with a burner tube pumps gas directly into the burner chamber.  On ignition you'll hear an explosive (whoosh/pop) type of ignition.

Most commonly that ignition also blows out the burner...and then the unit recycles as it try's again to light the heater.   

Owners of units in the recall range should carefully listen and watch for unusual ignition events...which is a sign that a burner tube has fallen off the frame.  

All new units being manufactured have ALL the burner tubes crimped in place.

The recalled units are replaced with newer burners with all the burners crimped to the frame.

Oliver is getting units from Truma but at a rate of 10-15/month...so patience is required for repairs.

Follow instructions in the Oliver Recall to get your unit repaired.  
They can only send replacement burners to qualified repair centers.

 

 

For the curious, here's a pix of an actual "ignition event" when a burner tube has fallen off:  

As you see the flame is rather large and extends outside the burn chamber.

 

 

Edited February 20 by Galway Girl

[katanapilot]

So if one has received the recall notice and is in the affected range, they use their AquaGo, it starts a fire and you lose your trailer - do you think Truma will have any liability at that point? I doubt it and I can’t help but wonder if your insurance company might decline coverage for the owner’s negligence.  

[katanapilot]

Anyone in the affected serial number range have a creative way of dealing with the recall - given that parts and service center availability is very limited, we can't buy this part on our own (at least I don't think so) and there is no current lead time being provided on when we will individually get our repair. 

I am contemplating trying to purchase a replacement heater and installing it myself.  Not at all my first choice, but neither is (a) not going camping, (b) not having hot water or (c) burning up our Oliver.  Full hookup sites with camp showers aren't ubiquitous on our desired camping route(s).

 

[topgun2]

I'm not sure what I'd do if I were in this situation other than try to stay in very close contact with the folks in Oliver Service and I'm sure that I'd be just a frustrated as you must be.

From what I know, Oliver is doing all it can - they simply can't get enough of the units quickly enough.  Hopefully, Truma can get its production ramped up.

Bill

[John and Debbie]

7 hours ago, katanapilot said:

Anyone in the affected serial number range have a creative way of dealing with the recall - given that parts and service center availability is very limited, we can't buy this part on our own (at least I don't think so) and there is no current lead time being provided on when we will individually get our repair. 

I am contemplating trying to purchase a replacement heater and installing it myself.  Not at all my first choice, but neither is (a) not going camping, (b) not having hot water or (c) burning up our Oliver.  Full hookup sites with camp showers aren't ubiquitous on our desired camping route(s).

 

I plan to just turn off the Truma aquago every night and turn it back on in the morning.  

John 

[katanapilot]

6 hours ago, John and Debbie said:

I plan to just turn off the Truma aquago every night and turn it back on in the morning.  

John 

We do that always.  The cycling of the Truma when left on is a little bit bothersome. 

I understand your logic.  If the Truma starts a fire, at least you will be awake to possibly fight the fire or get out of the trailer while it burns.  I was really looking for a workaround so as to not use the Truma at all or if anyone had come up with a novel way to actually fix the problem. 

[topgun2]

Again - I don't have a Truma, but, if I did I'm not sure that I'd turn that thing on until and unless I really did need hot water AND that hot water could not be supplied via heating it on the stove.

With my memory and all of the other distractions that are out there I sure as heck would not want to walk away and come back to a pile of melted resin.

Bill

[ADKCamper]

As always... we really appreciate all the information available on the Forum!

We only turn ours on when we need hot water, and then turn it off afterwards (including the outside power switch).

The only exception to the above is when it drops below freezing overnight. Then we leave it on in "ECO" mode until morning or whenever we leave the camper for the day.

[katanapilot]

3 hours ago, topgun2 said:

Again - I don't have a Truma, but, if I did I'm not sure that I'd turn that thing on until and unless I really did need hot water AND that hot water could not be supplied via heating it on the stove.

With my memory and all of the other distractions that are out there I sure as heck would not want to walk away and come back to a pile of melted resin.

Bill

Hot water for cooking or dishwashing I can manage without the Truma.  Showers are another matter, especially when boondocking.

Running the Truma when awake and only as needed is probably the least risk possible with the exception of not using it at all.

Oliver service says there are 800 serial numbers affected.  Unless Truma gets producing large numbers of these burners soon (and I wouldn't be surprised if they are made by a subcontractor) - it's going to be a while for Oliver to get to all of us.

[katanapilot]

On 2/20/2025 at 2:03 PM, Galway Girl said:

I'll repost this picture to illustrate the purpose of the recall.

The recall is for water heater burner assemblies manufactured in the date range of the recall.
Those burner assemblies only had the two END burners crimped to the frame.   (See below pix.)

The result is after many miles of vibration or less on rough roads, the burner tubes are susceptible to falling out out of the frame.

When that happens, gas from the feed orfice that is no longer aligned with a burner tube pumps gas directly into the burner chamber.  On ignition you'll hear an explosive (whoosh/pop) type of ignition.

Most commonly that ignition also blows out the burner...and then the unit recycles as it try's again to light the heater.   

Owners of units in the recall range should carefully listen and watch for unusual ignition events...which is a sign that a burner tube has fallen off the frame.  

All new units being manufactured have ALL the burner tubes crimped in place.

The recalled units are replaced with newer burners with all the burners crimped to the frame.

Oliver is getting units from Truma but at a rate of 10-15/month...so patience is required for repairs.

Follow instructions in the Oliver Recall to get your unit repaired.  
They can only send replacement burners to qualified repair centers.

 

 

For the curious, here's a pix of an actual "ignition event" when a burner tube has fallen off:  

As you see the flame is rather large and extends outside the burn chamber.

 

 

Crazy question - given that the defect appears to simply be a lack of crimped ends on the middle burners - has anyone tried to pull the burner, crimp the uncrimped ends and reinstall?  I wonder if the heat cycles have heat treated and potentially embrittled the burner ends and they would crack if this was attempted?  Just trying to find a simple and quick repair to what otherwise could be a very long recall process.  

[Rivernerd]

1 hour ago, katanapilot said:

Crazy question - given that the defect appears to simply be a lack of crimped ends on the middle burners - has anyone tried to pull the burner, crimp the uncrimped ends and reinstall?  I wonder if the heat cycles have heat treated and potentially embrittled the burner ends and they would crack if this was attempted?  Just trying to find a simple and quick repair to what otherwise could be a very long recall process.  

I have considered it, but only as a short-term solution.  As a retired attorney, I accept that to be able to ultimately sell our Hull #1291 I must endure the pain of facilitating the recall work once "our" replacement burner assembly becomes available.  Doing the work myself is not a legally viable alternative, even though I believe I may be more careful than many RV repair techs. 

If you feel better pulling the burner assembly and crimping the ends yourself before using your Truma Aquago pending receipt of "your" new burner assembly, go for it.  But even if that may be as effective a practical solution as burner assembly replacement, it will not be legally sufficient to limit your liability when you sell your Oliver.

That said, I am aligned with those folks who have opted to continue to use their Truma Aqugo units "as is," but with more careful monitoring, until the recall requirements are satisfied. 

[ScubaRx]

1 hour ago, Rivernerd said:

…That said, I am aligned with those folks who have opted to continue to use their Truma Aqugo units "as is," but with more careful monitoring, until the recall requirements are satisfied. 

I think this is a reasonable and responsible approach. 

[katanapilot]

1 hour ago, Rivernerd said:

I have considered it, but only as a short-term solution.  As a retired attorney, I accept that to be able to ultimately sell our Hull #1291 I must endure the pain of facilitating the recall work once "our" replacement burner assembly becomes available.  Doing the work myself is not a legally viable alternative, even though I believe I may be more careful than many RV repair techs. 

If you feel better pulling the burner assembly and crimping the ends yourself before using your Truma Aquago pending receipt of "your" new burner assembly, go for it.  But even if that may be as effective a practical solution as burner assembly replacement, it will not be legally sufficient to limit your liability when you sell your Oliver.

That said, I am aligned with those folks who have opted to continue to use their Truma Aqugo units "as is," but with more careful monitoring, until the recall requirements are satisfied. 

No doubt it would be a short term solution.  However, with 800 affected units and with Oliver currently only receiving 15-20 replacement burners per month - we are looking at a very long recall process. 

I was just looking for a risk mitigation strategy versus utilizing a recalled water heater that is a potential fire hazard.  I do realize that not all of the recalled units have or will fail - but if one can "fix" the defect without creating additional risk - why not? I also realize that not everyone has the capability or the desire to attempt a DIY repair.  I know the recall will have to be performed at some point regardless.

 

[ScubaRx]

On 2/23/2025 at 5:34 PM, topgun2 said:

From what I know, Oliver is doing all it can - they simply can't get enough of the units quickly enough.  Hopefully, Truma can get its production ramped up.

Bill

None of this is provable, of course, but I personally don’t think Truma has any intention of ramping up production to help Oliver. When this problem became apparent, Truma refused to issue and take responsibility for a recall laying the entire blame on Oliver claiming they were the only OEM that had experienced a problem. Truma knew about (or at least bought into the idea) that their product might have as issue because they retooled and changed the design of the burner assembly. It is my belief that this “shortage of parts” is an issue manufactured by Truma to punish Oliver and (by default) this community of owners for making this problem public knowledge.

Edited Wednesday at 05:14 PM by ScubaRx

[katanapilot]

35 minutes ago, ScubaRx said:

None of this is provable, of course, but I personally don’t think Truma has any intention of ramping up production to help Oliver. When this problem became apparent, Truma refused to issue and take responsibility for a recall laying the entire blame on Oliver claiming they were the only OEM that had experienced a problem. Truma knew about (or at least bought into the idea) that their product might have as issue because they retooled and changed the design of the burner assembly. It is my belief that this “shortage of parts” is an issue manufactured by Truma to punish Oliver and (by default) this community of owners for making this problem public knowledge.

Assuming this is true - all the more reason for us as owners to try to come up with practical, near term solutions.  Otherwise, it will be years before Oliver gets enough burner assemblies to remedy the recall of 800 units.

[jd1923]

The thought of instant hot water is nice, but not Truma given all this! Our old school Suburban with 6 gallons water weight and the waste of draining often…

But it’s running now 10 years and I like the choice of using LP or electric. This trip we heated the tank twice on inverted battery power, using about 10% of 600AH!

[CRM]

11 minutes ago, jd1923 said:

But it’s running now 10 years and I like the choice of using LP or electric. 

The Truma is propane only? 

[katanapilot]

54 minutes ago, CRM said:

The Truma is propane only? 

Yes, it is an instant on-demand hot water heater (similar to what you might have at home).  It works very well and you don't have to take Navy showers - especially when camped at a full hookup site.  But right now, the recall issue is causing some real headaches for those of us that chose this option.