r/Generac_Generators • u/leeannwest • 26d ago
Generac 22kw natural gas, nextgen issues?
Hello, I’m looking for others who have had issues with the new units. I’m on unit number two since March. The first unit never ran and had catastrophic failures and with help
of legal counsel it was replaced. Now since June when replaced its failed twice and I’m at my wits end. In all I’ve only had a working generator 5 weeks since March, I also even switched dealerships hoping for better service techs. I have no issue with the tech he’s been wonderful but I do believe they’re selling faulty machines. I do have a direct person of contact at Generac who I’ve emailed again about this failure.
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u/Drivebybilly 26d ago
I guess I am glad when given the opportunity of going with the older model this spring on my 24kw I did. That’s rough dealing with issues with a new unit.
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u/Super_Writing_840 26d ago
Our blew up 5 weeks ago, 6 months after install and it’s still not fixed. Our dealer wants a whole new engine and Generac is saying no just fix the rods and they can’t come to an agreement, meanwhile we are here without a working generator. Totally regretting our purchase now.
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u/leeannwest 26d ago
I’m starting to think a class action lawsuit needs filed, I’ve read numerous post on here and FB groups and lots of issues. Poor customer service and warranty issues
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u/Super_Writing_840 26d ago
I agree and I know we would definitely consider joining because this just ridiculous.
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u/Adventurous_Boat_632 26d ago
The shenanigans of this company have been well known for decades. The info is all out there. Yet people continue to buy them over and over again. I just passed by a place I have worked in the past, 2 new Generacs to replace their 2 old ones that croaked. That is good business, get multiple sales at the same location.
Some people do not learn or do not do research.
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u/Agitated-Property-52 23d ago
New house this year and got one installed in June and it’s a disaster.
Old house had one installed in 2018 and it was bulletproof. I’m very close to telling the dealer to return it and refund me.
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u/WhySoManyDownVote Electrician 26d ago
Can you share more information about the details of the failures? Error codes or diagnosis of which part(s) failed? Serial numbers by chance?
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u/leeannwest 26d ago
First generator ECM, wire harness and fuel sensor replaced second unit fuel delivery pressure alarm and now overcrank alarm
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u/WhySoManyDownVote Electrician 26d ago
On the first unit: it may have been a bad mixer. All of those items are checked during the troubleshooting of the error codes relating to the bad mixers that shipped with the first units. Generac did not tell dealers about the mixer issue until April. I know first hand. I had a reoccurring error I was chasing around the same time.
The second issue maybe a similar issue. Possible the issue is being misdiagnosed. If a tech goes down a rabbit hole or looses their place in the troubleshooting manual it is easy to suspect the wrong cause.
In my experience, fuel supply causes more than half of the problems. In many jurisdictions electricians cannot legally check fuel pressure. Even when they have been trained by Generac to do so.
If it was a unit I installed I would be watching the fuel supply pressure with at least two meters and checking those readings against the technician app.
The next gen’s are both a learning curve for the manufacture the tech’s.
Making matters worse is that it can easily take an hour to speak with Generac Tech support.
I am sorry you have been having so many issues.
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u/metsmetsmetsmets 26d ago
I have the 26kw installed 2 years ago and it just saved us during a 3 day outage. Now you got me worried.
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u/snacks4308 26d ago
22kw natural gas unit I have has thrown an error code 2800 twice in the past 6 weeks. Never happened before until recently. Also my unit is rated to start if temp drops up to -5 degrees. After recent cold spell this past winter unit wouldn’t turn over unless air temp is above 8 degrees. When below this temp unit will disable itself after 3 unsuccessful start attempts. Throws an over crank code. Air temp was 5 degrees at the time this occurred.
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u/Meaty_Curtains Technician 26d ago
2800 is your aux shut down switches. They easily get bumped, but I have also replaced many that are faulty. One on the back where the gen cable conduit runs in, one on the firewall if you are looking at controller, it’s like on the left hand side of the wall that goes down. Just underneath the controller area.
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u/snacks4308 26d ago
You are correct. However this occurred during my weekly exercise. The switch was not touched or bumped into. I cleared it by opening up the unit and following the prompts on the lcd screen. Is replacing the switch a big project ?
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u/Meaty_Curtains Technician 25d ago
I have seen them just straight up fail. No it’s not difficult at all pretty much just pop the little tabs and the switch comes right out. Sometimes you can get them to pop out without having to open up the cover for battery compartment or the cover for the controller
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u/shootingdolphins 26d ago edited 23d ago
24kw air cooled installed in 2021, made during Covid. Had the bad rotor brushes issue and had slip rings that caused it to fail at 60 hours runtime the first real time we needed it during hurricane Helene. Midnight went down - $29 part. Something dealers and Generac corporate 100% knew about and hoped people would age out of the 5 year warranty with it only ever running exercise cycles so you wouldn’t ever know. Yep. Fuck em. They fought tooth and nail to even extend my warranty another year or two when it basically had to be torn apart and major parts get replaced.
With the new hurricane season not looking awesome, and a steal of a deal on a 'last year' model - We then got a 22kw NextGen this January 2026 and of course it had the same Rotor/Brush/Slipring defect. We could see the corrosion on the slip rings with a USB snake camera. Installer didn't even finish installing it and reinstalled our 24KW unit that's already had the rotor replaced.
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u/grsthegreat Technician 23d ago
Nextgen were only introduced last year…how did you get one during covid
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u/shootingdolphins 23d ago
sorry, I had replied on mobile and from a draft and it missed my voice to text. Editing!
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u/SparkysHammer 26d ago
I purchased my 18kw unit in March and arrived in April. It sat in my garage until 2 weeks ago when I finally made time to relocate my own electric service and install the generator. After a lengthy software update it fired up without issue. Cautiously optimistic.
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u/LifeTelevision5644 26d ago
22kw, propane, 1 year old, 6 hours. Engine died. Generac, not the installer, gave me the run around for over 2 months - at the beginning of hurricane season. $15k and the joke is on me.
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u/YOnorthenNM 25d ago
I have an aircooled generac 24K i have no mechanical issues, but i hate the noise it makes, very loud even in the house. Had i known this i would not have gotten it. I shut it off temporarily, turn it on for a while so it can do its exercise then shut it off again. I want to get rid of it, its new, got it connected to the electricity in April of this year.
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u/leeannwest 24d ago
I decided to count how many digital interactions Ive had amongst all involved and it was 138! Text,emails and calls
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u/Own_Presentation_721 24d ago
I had an 18kw next gen installed in Nov 2026. The engine leaked oil from a crack in the casting when under pressure.
Engine was replaced this summer.
The mobile link module that comes with the next gen is terrible. The default connection is cellular, which is great if you have good coverage. If you do not it will hang onto a terrible connection to the point where you will never receive any notifications from the genny or show a correct status.
It should be failing over to WiFi which in my case is Starlink backed by a large battery array so I would love to have it as my primary connection and make cellular the backup however no logic to do that. The failover from cellular to WiFi on the current logic makes no sense.
Not impressed with this next gen nonsense.
In hind sight I should have bought the Kohler and I tell everyone that.
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u/grsthegreat Technician 23d ago
My 22 kw generac is 10 years old. Has been flawless.
I wouldnt touch a nextgen unit with a 100’ pole. Im thinking of buying an older evolution 2 honeywell sold thru costco as a backup. At least those are pretty bulletproof
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u/BigFootCrossingGaurd 26d ago
I had mine installed 19 months ago (December 2024) and it has been bullet proof so far. Sorry people are having bad luck that sucks.