12V outlet fuse keeps blowing

[bleaches]

Hey everyone. Did a little search to see if anyone has had a similar issue but to no avail so I decided to see if you guys can provide some insight. Since I got my 2015 TE Tuesday I've already blown my 12V acc lighter fuse (15Amp) three times with the same dashcam i've used in my previous car for years. should I just stick a 20 amp fuse in there instead or is there something I am doing wrong here?

There are no other acc plugged into any other ports of the car other than the dashcam going into the center console 12V outlet.

 

[Antman]

Do not stick a 20a fuse in there.

How much does the dashcam draw? I doubt it's even close to 15a.

I think something is wrong with your 12 plug on the camera, or the wires are chafed somewhere. It's also possible that the plug and the outlet don't like to play nice together. Happens sometimes.

Plug something else in there, like a 12v compressor, and see what happens.

 

[flyrv9]

To add a bit to Antman's comment. Never over fuse any circuit anywhere. Circuits are designed to handle only so much current and are fused accordingly. Over fusing can cause the circuit to run hot and possibly burn up the wiring and or damage anything connected to it. If the 15 amp fuse is the correct one (check the manual) then I'd look elsewhere for the cause as previously mentioned. As new as your vehicle is - the dealer would be a good place to start and have the warranty cover it.

 

[Saker]

I concur with [MENTION=65614]Antman[/MENTION], don't even stick a larger fuse in that slot because when you fry wires or worse set something on fire... It will be on you, not Toyota if there is an actual issue in the outlet!
Just sayin'

Take your time and figure out if it's your dashcam, and if not see your dealer.

Good luck!

 

[bleaches]

Thanks for the advise guys. I will try to stick this dash cam in another vehicle to see if a similar issue happens. if not, back to the dealer it goes lol

 

[kdub351]

Thanks for the advise guys. I will try to stick this dash cam in another vehicle to see if a similar issue happens. if not, back to the dealer it goes lol

This same thing has been happening to me. I have taken it to the dealer twice now.
first time they replace the 15a fuse, outlets worked for 20 minutes (just long enough to get down the road and for the dealership to close)

second time they told me it was because I was using a cheap no name phone charger that I bought at a gas station and not a "apple charger"
I have used this same charger in 3 other cars for the past 2 years.
so......to amuse this guy, I went and bought an "apple car charger" which is really just a belkin brand charger that apple recommends.

Surprise, it blew again 20 some odd minutes down the road.

I haven't got a chance to bring it back in but I'm getting pretty fed up. This is a brand new truck, so I didn't really want to start poking around myself.
I'll give them one more shot to diagnose this before I have to raise some hell.

 

[Bumbo]

Interesting... sounds like its a possible Toyota problem.

There has to be some point of high resistance or something in that circuit... it's a delayed blow on a low amperage accessory.

If they dont fix it and ur forced to figure it out yourself...

Get a digital multimeter; you can measure the resistance of that circuit as well and check for a short.

You can quickly check the accessory as well by testing if there is any continuity between the positive and negative connections.

And I know its been said, but throwing in a larger fuse or bypassing it with a paperclip is a recipe for disaster. Just don't go there. Bad things can happen... you could start a fire, you could get something that would have otherwise been a warranty claim denied...

 

[kdub351]

Interesting... sounds like its a possible Toyota problem.

There has to be some point of high resistance or something in that circuit... it's a delayed blow on a low amperage accessory.

If they dont fix it and ur forced to figure it out yourself...

Get a digital multimeter; you can measure the resistance of that circuit as well and check for a short.

You can quickly check the accessory as well by testing if there is any continuity between the positive and negative connections.

And I know its been said, but throwing in a larger fuse or bypassing it with a paperclip is a recipe for disaster. Just don't go there. Bad things can happen... you could start a fire, you could get something that would have otherwise been a warranty claim denied...

im very familiar with a multimeter, I use one nearly everyday.
I would just like to give the dealer a chance to remedy this considering I just gave them 40000 dollars for a truck.

lol but then again this is getting kind of old.... I may poke around on my day off this weekend

 

[Bumbo]

im very familiar with a multimeter, I use one nearly everyday.
I would just like to give the dealer a chance to remedy this considering I just gave them 40000 dollars for a truck.

lol but then again this is getting kind of old.... I may poke around on my day off this weekend

Totally get it and I agree with you... but sometimes it helps to lay out their stupidity so you can actually move forward.

I would poke around because I am legitimately curious as to what the problem might be.

 

[Naphit]

Hey OP, I'm having some what of a similar issue. I recently purchased a dual usb plug in so that the gf and I could both charge or phones while on trips. I was excited to test it out when I got it. I plugged it in, plugged in my charger and phone, but nothing happened. I thought it was the outlet so i tried the one in the center arm rest, nothing. tried the rear, nothing. I checked the fuse and yup, it blew a fuse. I assume it was the new dual usb plug in since this is a brand new truck. I'm afraid to plug it back in and either ruin my truck or my phone.

 

[Bumbo]

Hey OP, I'm having some what of a similar issue. I recently purchased a dual usb plug in so that the gf and I could both charge or phones while on trips. I was excited to test it out when I got it. I plugged it in, plugged in my charger and phone, but nothing happened. I thought it was the outlet so i tried the one in the center arm rest, nothing. tried the rear, nothing. I checked the fuse and yup, it blew a fuse. I assume it was the new dual usb plug in since this is a brand new truck. I'm afraid to plug it back in and either ruin my truck or my phone.

Replace the fuse, try again. The point of the fuse is to protect the trucks electrical system.

Worse case scenario, you blow another fuse. Not a big deal.

 

[MissouriBreaks]

Hey OP, I'm having some what of a similar issue. I recently purchased a dual usb plug in so that the gf and I could both charge or phones while on trips. I was excited to test it out when I got it. I plugged it in, plugged in my charger and phone, but nothing happened. I thought it was the outlet so i tried the one in the center arm rest, nothing. tried the rear, nothing. I checked the fuse and yup, it blew a fuse. I assume it was the new dual usb plug in since this is a brand new truck. I'm afraid to plug it back in and either ruin my truck or my phone.

Replace the fuse and try it again, the worst you should do is blow the fuse again.

I recently purchased a dual USB charger and have not had any problems with it.

 

[wcjeep]

Has anyone actually looked inside the 12v power outlet? Could be dirt or other contaminates completing the circuit with the help of any 12v accessory.

 

[Slavic]

Do not stick a 20a fuse in there.

How much does the dashcam draw? I doubt it's even close to 15a.

I think something is wrong with your 12 plug on the camera, or the wires are chafed somewhere. It's also possible that the plug and the outlet don't like to play nice together. Happens sometimes.

Plug something else in there, like a 12v compressor, and see what happens.

We talk about no more then 1A.

 

[kdub351]

FYI this thread is kind of dated, I just resurrected it because my issue was similar.
OP may have figured it out by now.

 

[bleaches]

FYI this thread is kind of dated, I just resurrected it because my issue was similar.
OP may have figured it out by now.

Holy thread revival! Totally forgot I had this problem when I got the truck back then. It turns out it was my shitty dashcam that had a short with a cable. I now run a new dash cam with a scanner and USB power outlet through a three way splitter head and have not had any problems since. Only time I have blown the fuse accidentally was when I plugged in my small air compressor and overloaded it. I have spare fuses on hand so it is not a big deal now.
[MENTION=149739]kdub351[/MENTION] I am sorry to hear you are having this problem as well. I would suggest trying different brand of accessory as that might be the root cause.