Truma has QC issues….

[GraniteStaters]

Not trying to add fuel to the Truma fire, but we had problems with our Truma last spring after 4 1/2 years and the symptom, delayed ignition and the smell outside adjacent to the Truma.  I was directed by Oliver to reach out to Truma, as I recollect and that wasn't unexpected.  When I open the case with Truma support, an Elkhart based engineer reached out to me and said they didn't want me to use the Truma anymore.  They made me promise as they felt it was a health and safety risk.  I naturally agreed, particularly when they said they would have a certified technician of my choice replace the unit for free and document the installation of the Truma with pictures.  We went with out hot water in the Oliver for a week at the Maine Rally.  I reached out to Tim's RV in Erving, MA and explained to Tim and Brandon that Truma would be shipping a unit to them and compensating them for doing the pictures and installation.  We arranged for a late June for the 1/2 day installation.  Truma requires certified and trained technicians and extended a courtesy approval after discussing Brandon's experience and in light of our needs.  Truma sent the brand new unit to Tim's.  We were notified when they received it.  Brandon confirmed the delivery too before I made the trip from Concord, NH to Erving.  Tim and Brandon were very gracious and Brandon did an outstanding job on the install.  

[CRM]

3 hours ago, katanapilot said:

Yes, it is an instant on-demand hot water heater (similar to what you might have at home).  

Thanks. I've never even seen one of the Truma units before. Since it's on-demand it makes sense that it doesn't have an electric option.

[DaveAndBecky_NorthernMI]

On 2/13/2025 at 3:10 PM, John Dorrer said:

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

Can confirm. Spoke with Jason today regarding service on March 11-12. He has a burner set aside for me.

[ScubaRx]

5 hours ago, katanapilot said:

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.

I can't argue that under these circumstances, it would take a long time to get to everyone. But don't misunderstand what I wrote. These statements are just possibilities that I'm saying COULD be true, I have no evidence that they are, but if I was running Truma and a company pissed me off bad enough, that's exactly what I would do.

I don't own a Truma, but if I did and now knowing the exact nature of the issue, you can bet your sweet bippy I would pull that burner out, repair it, put it back in, torque it to the proper specs, hook up and go camping.

[katanapilot]

2 hours ago, ScubaRx said:

you can bet your sweet bippy I would pull that burner out, repair it, put it back in, torque it to the proper specs, hook up and go camping.

Exactly what I plan to attempt.  

[Rivernerd]

22 hours ago, ScubaRx said:

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.

If you are correct, it is a remarkably poor business decision by Truma.  The sooner the product failure is resolved, the sooner it fades from the public consciousness, and Truma's quality reputation can be rebuilt.

[Galileo]

15 hours ago, katanapilot said:

Exactly what I plan to attempt.  

It’s really quite simple and well within the skill set of anybody who can change their engine oil or a set of spark plugs.

You WILL need a couple of Torx wrenches. I forget the size, but both/all were included in a small Elkind folding set, I’d guess a T-10 is one of them. Two open end wrenches to remove the gas fitting. (I don’t think there’s room to use flare nut or “line” wrenches.) About 5/8 or 11/16” I think. Also the big wrench for the nut holding the gas line to the manifold.

Other than having to ease it out and caress it back in is to pull out the black control box at the top right of the heater enclosure when you open the access door. Easier than removing the ignition and flame sensor leads and less likely to break them. DO take the picture as Galway Girl suggested to put the disconnected leads back in the right place. Turn off the LP first of course.

Once you overcome any trepidation about working on an unfamiliar piece of equipment, it’s a pretty simple job.

As others have pointed out - if you fiddle with it, you likely void your warranty. 

Edited February 27 by Galileo
Fat fingers and autocorrect

[katanapilot]

5 hours ago, Galileo said:

It’s really quite simple and well within the skill set of anybody who can change their engine oil or a set of spark plugs.

You WILL need a couple of Torx wrenches. I forget the size, but both/all were included in a small Elkind folding set, I’d guess a T-10 is one of them. Two open end wrenches to remove the gas fitting. (I don’t think there’s room to use flare nut or “line” wrenches.) About 5/8 or 11/16” I think. Also the big wrench for the nut holding the gas line to the manifold.

Other than having to ease it out and caress it back in is to pull out the black control box at the top right of the heater enclosure when you open the access door. Easier than removing the ignition and flame sensor leads and less likely to break them. DO take the picture as Galway Girl suggested to put the disconnected leads back in the right place. Turn off the LP first of course.

Once you overcome any trepidation about working on an unfamiliar piece of equipment, it’s a pretty simple job.

As others have pointed out - if you fiddle with it, you likely void your warranty. 

Appreciate the advice.  I built the two airplanes in my profile picture, so I am hopeful  I have the skills and tools to do this job.  😉Would prefer to have a service manual but it sounds like those are top secret need to know only and reserved for the few Truma service centers.

I think the warranty is long expired. 
 

My plan B is to have Truma replace this one with a remanufactured unit. They stated they won’t replace the burner only even at my expense.  Not the most customer friendly company I have dealt with. 

[Galileo]

16 hours ago, katanapilot said:

My plan B is to have Truma replace this one with a remanufactured unit. They stated they won’t replace the burner only even at my expense.  Not the most customer friendly company I have dealt with. 

Wow. 

Truma doesn’t seem to be winning many hearts and minds here. 

I’ve read seemingly very different impressions of Truma’s customer service. Some say they’re great, others - not so much.

My only attempt at contacting them didn’t even get the courtesy of a reply. 

[mossemi]

On 2/24/2025 at 1:16 AM, John and Debbie said:

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

John 

Our standard practice has always been to turn the Truma on at the inside control panel when we needed hot water and then turn it off when not needed.  This is not a solution to the problem, it just reduces the likelihood of a fire 🔥 when we are not around.  We will also add a  step to our departure and setup checklist , to turn the outside switch off or on as needed before travel!  It’s the best we can do until a repair has been completed.

Mossey

[srthomsen]

As far as I can tell, the systems are all maufactured in Germany and / or Italy. I cold not find any information pertaining to a Truma manufacturing facility in the USA.

This, if true, certainly could account for some of the lack of availability of components with which to repair the defective heaters.

Developed in Germany, produced in Italy: Our Products come from a single mold

One of our most important success factors: Within the Truma Group, development and production come from a single source. This means we can optimally coordinate manufacturing and production. The development headquarter is part of our German parent company, located in Putzbrunn, Bavaria. Together, we set new standards with coordinated, continuous improvements in development and manufacturing. This enables us to manufacture high-performance, high-precision products that delight our customers and add the greatest possible value.

[Galileo]

3 hours ago, mossemi said:

Our standard practice has always been to turn the Truma on at the inside control panel when we needed hot water and then turn it off when not needed.  This is not a solution to the problem, it just reduces the likelihood of a fire 🔥 when we are not around.  We will also add a  step to our departure and setup checklist , to turn the outside switch off or on as needed before travel!  It’s the best we can do until a repair has been completed.

Mossey

We do the same with the inside switch. More to conserve propane though. I probably only use hot water once a day - usually less. We generally take our showers at the campground facilities, or at a health club depending upon how long we stay in a given place. 

I haven’t been turning off the switch on the outside. I guess I never thought about it. Nobody addressed it during our delivery process. I guess I’ll have to read the manual!

[katanapilot]

On 2/26/2025 at 6:37 PM, ScubaRx said:

I can't argue that under these circumstances, it would take a long time to get to everyone. But don't misunderstand what I wrote. These statements are just possibilities that I'm saying COULD be true, I have no evidence that they are, but if I was running Truma and a company pissed me off bad enough, that's exactly what I would do.

I don't own a Truma, but if I did and now knowing the exact nature of the issue, you can bet your sweet bippy I would pull that burner out, repair it, put it back in, torque it to the proper specs, hook up and go camping.

I’m beginning to believe that your suspicions regarding Truma’s response to Oliver’s recall are true.

Weeks ago I contacted Truma service to try to set up an AquaGo replacement (at my expense) - during the time that I was already planning to be in Lakeland near their service center.

They promised to have the person responsible for setting up the appointments reach back out to me.  Since then, crickets.

So I will be attempting my own repair until such time as OTT gets enough replacement burners and gets to me in the long line of affected owners. 

[Tom and Doreen]

4 hours ago, katanapilot said:

I’m beginning to believe that your suspicions regarding Truma’s response to Oliver’s recall are true.

Weeks ago I contacted Truma service to try to set up an AquaGo replacement (at my expense) - during the time that I was already planning to be in Lakeland near their service center.

They promised to have the person responsible for setting up the appointments reach back out to me.  Since then, crickets.

So I will be attempting my own repair until such time as OTT gets enough replacement burners and gets to me in the long line of affected owners. 

It turns out that there is ONE person in the country that handles appointments for the service centers, and if she's at a show or other event you won't hear from her for weeks.  That was the case for us as we were traveling to FL over the winter and had a problem with our water heater. She finally called back two weeks later and I was told that the service center couldn't see us for another three weeks.  We ended up going with a " Truma certified mobile tech" and that experience was less than ideal. Our Truma service support was horrible but that's a long story for another time. 

[katanapilot]

42 minutes ago, Tom and Doreen said:

It turns out that there is ONE person in the country that handles appointments for the service centers, and if she's at a show or other event you won't hear from her for weeks.  That was the case for us as we were traveling to FL over the winter and had a problem with our water heater. She finally called back two weeks later and I was told that the service center couldn't see us for another three weeks.  We ended up going with a " Truma certified mobile tech" and that experience was less than ideal. Our Truma service support was horrible but that's a long story for another time. 

Thanks for the information.  Maybe I was a bit premature in jumping to the conclusion that Truma is ghosting Oliver owners. 

I'll be in Lakeland in two weeks, so it looks like I'll be pulling the burner out to check on the crimped ends.  Doesn't look too difficult.

[katanapilot]

Found a brand new burner assembly from a "cosmetically damaged" AquaGo on eBay and bought it for $200.  One goal was to see what is involved in removing said assembly, since we do not have access to a service manual. I also wanted to see what was required to crimp the ends of the intermediate burners.  Having done that now, I will also put a small TIG weld bead at the ends to make sure there is never any movement. 

Still have not heard back from Truma to schedule a replacement unit, but now that I've seen what is involved in replacing the burner, I'm not going to bother.  I'll wait for Oliver to get to me in their recall queue, but I'll have a burner that I am comfortable with already installed. 

 

[Galway Girl]

@katanapilot 

Curious, in the 2 pix, the top one has only the end tubes crimped, in the bottom all tubes are crimped.
Is the bottom unit from the item you bought one bay?  Or did you simply crimp the tubes yourself?

Our replacement shipped to the repair facility a couple days back.  (On Friday Mar 21,2025)

Craig

 

Edited Tuesday at 11:33 PM by Galway Girl

[katanapilot]

1 hour ago, Galway Girl said:

@katanapilot 

Curious, in the 2 pix, the top one has only the end tubes crimped, in the bottom all tubes are crimped.
Is the bottom unit from the item you bought one bay?  Or did you simply crimp the tubes yourself?

Our replacement shipped to the repair facility a couple days back.  (On Friday Mar 21,2025)

Craig

 

I crimped the ends.  First picture was as delivered, second was after crimping the burner ends.  Took 5 minutes.  I'll add another picture when I TIG spot weld them. 

[Rivernerd]

14 hours ago, katanapilot said:

I'll add another picture when I TIG spot weld them. 

Your burner assembly will then be "better than new."

We submitted our replacement request to Oliver promptly after receiving the recall notice, but still we wait for a properly crimped burner assembly...

[Wandering Sagebrush]

When I spoke to the Truma Service Center, the tech I spoke to was very helpful regarding my warm versus hot water issue, but when I mentioned the “Truma” recall, the tech said this is an “Oliver” recall, not a Truma recall.  
 

That leads me to believe there may be some assembly or pre install effort on the Truma unit by Oliver.  Does anyone know if that is true?

[SeaDawg]

9 hours ago, Wandering Sagebrush said:

When I spoke to the Truma Service Center, the tech I spoke to was very helpful regarding my warm versus hot water issue, but when I mentioned the “Truma” recall, the tech said this is an “Oliver” recall, not a Truma recall.  
 

That leads me to believe there may be some assembly or pre install effort on the Truma unit by Oliver.  Does anyone know if that is true?

Maybe because Oliver eas an early adopter?

That would be my guess

[John and Debbie]

10 hours ago, Rivernerd said:

Your burner assembly will then be "better than new."

We submitted our replacement request to Oliver promptly after receiving the recall notice, but still we wait for a properly crimped burner assembly...

We did the same thing.  I wouldn't want to modify the burner assembly on my own even if I knew how to do the welding.  You're a former attorney.  I would think that if a person did that and if there was a fire, you would not have a legal leg to stand on.  Correct me if I am wrong.

John

[Rivernerd]

12 hours ago, John and Debbie said:

Correct me if I am wrong.

You are right.  But, the odds of such a fire spreading to your neighbor's trailer, and therefore creating liability exposure, are slim.  Doing your own modifications would more likely just limit your ability to make a claim against Oliver or Truma for the loss of your trailer.

[katanapilot]

I am not an attorney so this is an uneducated opinion only - I believe that anyone who has received notice of the recall and continues to use their AquaGo is probably accepting all liability for damage or loss due to a fire caused by the defective burner.

No doubt turning the AquaGo on only when needed mitigates the risk, but the risk still exists regardless.

[katanapilot]

16 hours ago, John and Debbie said:

We did the same thing.  I wouldn't want to modify the burner assembly on my own even if I knew how to do the welding.  You're a former attorney.  I would think that if a person did that and if there was a fire, you would not have a legal leg to stand on.  Correct me if I am wrong.

John

Do you think you would have any recourse with Oliver or Truma today?  You have been notified that your AquaGo may have a defective burner. If you choose to use it anyway and it burns down your trailer, whose fault would that be? 

Edited Thursday at 06:06 PM by katanapilot
Added clarifying text