HELP! Everytime I try to charge my cell phone using either of the two lighter outlets in my car, I blow a fuse. The dealer tells me it’s the cell phone; the cell phone company (Verizon) tells me it’s the car. I have changed phones and chargers twice. Any ideas on how to resolve. This does not happen in my Acura TL or Lexus SC400.
Maybe they are both right. The plug and the outlet might not be completely compatible. Hard to believe, but consider what happened with my Camry (2000).
My son got an aftermarket adapter/charger to power his cell phone from the lighter/outlet. The springy button on the tip of the plug was not long enough, and when he tried to push the plug in to get contact, the “hot” side shorted to the ground sleeve in the oulet, blowing the fuse. I forget the details; maybe the plug canted a bit and that caused the short. (There is always more to the story: I had a little trouble finding the blown fuse because the info in my owner’s manual was wrong!)
I fixed the problem by soldering on a piece of brass screw to extend the springy button. (I disassembled the button from the plug to to the soldering. If not, I would probably have melted the plug’s plastic case.)
So, examine the plug and socket to see if they mate properly, or if they might cause a short circuit. I would suspect this especially if the fuse gets blown when you are plugging in the charger, as opposed to when it has been in place for a while.