Which brands of cars let me charge my phone when the engine is off? I noticed that general motors does, but Toyota does not? Does anyone know about Ford, Chrysler, Honda, Nissa and all the other manufacturers?
Are you talking about a certain kind of phone that is branded to the car or just which cars have a âhotâ receptacle with the key off? Any car can be modifed for a outlet to be hot with the key off.
Most lighter sockets are âhotâ with the key offâŠ
Can you define âmostâ?
My experience is mostly with Hondas, Toyotas, and Subarus, and their lighter sockets are not âhotâ when the ignition is turned off.
Iâm not sure thatâd be a good idea since you could come out to a dead car battery if left alone for too long.
Just buy what car you want and take it somewhere to have the circuit modified or add a circuit to charge your phone. It should be pretty simple, kindergarden, electrical circuits.
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The socket goes off with the ignition switch on my 2003 Toyota 4Runner,but is always live on my 2006 Chevrolet Uplander. I think the power socket was always live on my 2000 Ford Windstar. On several occasions, I have left the charger plugged in overnight on the Uplander to charge my cell phone. It didnât run the battery downâthe phone battery doesnât take much energy to recharge.
On some cars the cigarette lighter stays hot when the car is not running, but AFAIK those with a socket labled POWER SOURCE leave THAT socket hot all the time. MANY cars made in the last ten years or so have both.
In addition to the care and maintenance of the cell phone, I hope you are also worried about your own needs. I wish that everybody didnât have to spend so much time on the phone. It can take a lot out of you. I know that we canât have the same goals. One personâs peace and quiet is another personâs boredom. The quiet time that bothered me was when school started after Summer vacation and I was at home for a few weeks before starting my first job. I spent the time reading a lot of books. There were no cell phones or home computers back then and the radio was playing some awful stuff, three channels on TVâŠ
You revived a 11 year old thread just to critique the replies to a question . Ok fine.
And how is this not a factual statement .
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Donât get ahead of yourself . . .
My sister-in-law also has a Mazda and sheâs learned to regret having that power port which is hot 24/7
She had a habit of leaving her charger plugged in all the time
Well, one day she told me the battery was dead
Turns out the tiny little led on the charger . . . which is on all the time, even if the phone isnât hooked up . . . was drawing enough current to eventually kill the battery. I know this for a fact because I had my dmm with me
She now makes sure nothing is plugged in if the car is turned off . . .
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Iâve noticed the same. Own 2 older GMâs, one 2013 Toyota. GM is hot with key off. Toyota, no. If a phone charger will drain the battery, wellâŠsomeone should tell my old GMâs. Itâs a handy feature. Annoys me with the Yota not having it. But not a huge gripe.
The important point is that you have older GM vehicles, and they likely have significantly fewer electronic devices to drain power. You may have courtesy lights that stay on after you shut the engine down, but probably not the radio and headlights as we have now. I could charge my phone in the 1998 Regal with the engine off and never had a problem. I wouldnât want to do that with my 2017 car.
Acura does not. When I changed batteries I used the memory saver but it didnât work because the car was off is how I know. I understand our 3 year old battery might have been a little tired but we stopped for gas and the wife had the radio on for a short period. Came back to the car and not enough juice to start it again. I donât know what a phone takes but I wouldnât chance it.
The radios stay on until you open the door on the GMâs (mine anyway, 2005). The headlights stay on for a period after you leave the Buick. You can alter the time the lights stay on. The truck is a base model, so the lights only stay on aboutâŠ8 seconds or so maybe and you canât adjust it. You can roll down the windows in the Buick after you shut down the engine. The truck has manual windows.
Conversely, the Toyotaâs radio shuts off as soon as you turn the ignition off. Iâm not certain on the windows.
So Iâm not sure. The GMâs are 05âs, the Toyota is a 13. It may be more of a âToyotaâ thing or maybe just an Asian brand thing. I really donât remember what the 2013 Ford I owned did in this regard. I canât speak for modern GMâs either. But if they act like my older ones (and I suspect they do), I doubt itâs a modern electronics issue.
If a phone charger drains the battery overnight, I think you may have a pretty weak battery. Not a deal breaker, obviously, but being able to charge a phone when you hop out of the car is pretty handy.
That charger in my sister-in-lawâs car . . . even with no phone hooked up, it draws about 150 milliamps
Not okay at all, in my opinion
Even a good battery will suffer long term consequences
My wifeâs Hyundai Elantra has a wireless charging spot that works with the engine on or off. Also a USB outlet thatâs always hot.
I donât know how much mine draws. Itâs a cheap-o variety that I bought at a gas station with a light that stays on constantly. I always leave it plugged in. The battery in the Buick lasted 5 years, which is about all I ever get out of a battery in MS. I do drive 20 miles or so (one way) to work, so that may have an effect too. Might be worse in a vehicle thatâs driven less. Regardless, it hasnât caused me any issues and I like the feature. If the battery dies early next time, I might change my tune!
Get something like this, less chance of running your car battery down.
I thought your vehicles may have been older, like 1990s, and not have had as much electronics.