Can the improper use of a cigarette lighter adapter (to charge a cellphone or portable stereo) cause damage to the car's battery or electrical system?
I once plugged a CB radio into a car's cig lighter and it kind of went in only halfway, or at a bit of an angle. It caused the car power to shut off while the vehicle was in full motion!
Did the car stop? Did the dashboard display quit? Did the radio quit? Did the interior lights quit? Did the turn-signals quit?
How did you fix it?
A cigarette lighter is wired with a larger gage of wire and high currents (as much as 20 A) are possible. You need to check on the particular car make and model to determine how overcurrent protection is implemented for that circuit. For example, on some vehicles the connector is protected by a
15 amp ACC fuse in the passenger compartment fuse box.
Yeah, all the power went out on the car. I had to turn the key off then started it again as normal and it was fine. Weird, huh?
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