Power outlet

Is there any way short of rewiring the car to get the power outlet in the
center console of a 2006 Sonata to remain powered with the ignition off???
What was Hyundai thinking? There is also a cigarette lighter on the console
which turns off as expected, but the power outlet should stay on to charge
cell phones, power GPS, etc.

Tom

 

Actually, I love the fact that this outlet is switched. It automatically
shuts down my Garmin GPS. If I want to use the GPS after I have the outlet
switched off, the battery will run it for at least 3 hours.

You could just move the cigarette lighter to the other outlet and use the
lighter outlet to power whatever you want.

Eric

 

Sadly, it seems both Hyundai and Kia have mastered this.

I once had a dead cellphone. Needing it recharged ASAP, I took the very
inadvisable step of leaving the keys in the ignition in the accessory
setting (the power does work on 'accessory') and locking all the doors while
I went into a store.

My key fob is on a different keyring from my ignition keys. So I thought I
would be able to unlock the doors using the keyfob. But apparently, the
keyfob does not work with the key in accessory. I had to call my wife to
bring down a spare key.

Oh well, at least the vehicle wasn't stolen.

But I agree - bad engineering choice here.

 

To Eric,

On both of my outlets, they are turned off with the ignition turned off.
Switching the cigarette lighter would do no good. Yes, the Garmin will run
for about three hours on battery power, but if it is close to the end of the
trip, you don't have a way to recharge it in the car. You can recharge it
from the USB / computer cable, however.

To the Rev, I feel for you.......... Some lawyer probably made a fortune
suing a car company because some fool did something stupid with the
continuously powered cigarette lighter; hence, our dilemma.

Tom

 

This can indeed be done, provided you want to go through the effort. Just
tapping into a wire such as the radio wire that's constantly powered will
tend to cause repeated blown fuse heartache. Most likely, you'll need to
pick an unused fuse block location and wire from there with the
appropriate wiring gauge and fuse. Of course, if you're just going to be
using low-amperage items in the power outlet, snipping and taping the
original power wire and attaching to the radio (or other) constant power
may work well.

 

Hmmmm. I thought for sure the cig outlet ran when the key was removed.
I will check tomorrow and report.

I run my Garmin on power all the time from the accessory outlet...i.e.,
when I turn my key on, the Garmin (nuvi 360) turns on and runs off the
external power and not the battery. So mine is almost always charged.
Maybe yours doesn't work the same way??

Eric

 

Mine works the same way, Eric. I just tried both outlets again on my Sonata
and they are both dead without the key. Hyundaitech answered with what I
expected..... Cut, solder, and tape to bypass the opencircuit. Not what I
wanted to hear. ) I'm too old to spend time under dashes anymore. I
think that's why my back is so bad. I've had many a brake pedal impression
embedded in my back. )

Tom

 

Tom, you gotta stop using that cruise control the wrong way

And yes, I just confirmed that my power outlets work the same as yours.
Sorry. Thought I had an obvious solution that you missed.

So which Garmin do you have? Doesn't the windshield mount allow you to
charge it while the car is on? I don't think I have ever run mine on
battery power except for the 30 second shut-down time every time I shut off
the car.

As to the cell phone and other gadgets, I personally don't have that
problem, or maybe you just use your stuff differently than I do. My cell
phone will go at least 5 days without a charge with my talking habits, and
then I always charge it at home. My PDA gets connected to my PC nightly to
synch and charge. And besides that about 95% of my trips are too short to
be able to charge anything.

Eric

 

Hi Eric,
I have the c330 Streetpilot. I usually charge my cell phone at home too;
however, too many times I have tried to push the envelope too far and see
I'm down to one bar when I go somewhere.
It's just a nice convenience to have a constant power supply in the car.
Charges the phone, GPS, etc. Keeps the DVD player going for the kids when
we stop. Charges my RC airplane batteries at the field. Powers air
compressor for tires or inflatables. on and on. My Sedona has one in the
back.

Tom

 

Yeah, we have the same one on the back of the Entourage. I don't think
we've even used it yet. But I do understand your need. I'm sure it was
some lawyer somewhere that caused the change.

Eric

 

I think it's more likely that this is just how the Koreans are familiar
with the operation of the lighter. If I recall correctly, every Hyundai
ever imported into the U.S. operate the lighter this way, and Kias worked
this way as well even before Hyundai bought the company.

 

[original post is likely clipped to save bandwidth]

Sure is, I also find two outlets where both are switched brain dead. I
posted the below last year.

...

The dealer was useless so I found a way to power the "power outlet" full
time with NO MODIFICATION to the wiring!

A volt meter or simple test device is needed, as well as two "add a
circuit" plug ins.

I found the "Add a circuit" at autozone. They are a simple device that
plugs in the ATM style fuse holder, have a socket for the original fuse
and one for an added circuit with a pigtail.

I connected the pigtails of two back to back and inserted 20 Amp fuses
in the "extra circuit slot" only. These devices state they are rated at
10 Amp per fuse, but as instructed, they service two fuses each. I only
used one.

Next, I put the car in "ACC" position and pulled the power outlet fuse.
The dead side (with fuse pulled) goes to the power outlet. I inserted
the 1st add a circuit such that the fuse connects to the pigtail and
load side (dead at the moment).

Next, I pulled a spare fuse connected in the fuse block as always on.
(the circuit diagrams are online at Hyundai). Plug the second add a
circuit in, if correct you will have power at the outlet all the time,
if backwards you will never have power!

No modifications to the wiring, the taps can be unplugged any time and
original fuses replaced.

gerry

 

Good post. I also discovered where I made my mistake thinking the
Sonata had one outlet powered all of the time: My 2007 Entourage DOES
have an accessory outlet powered all of the time right next to the
cigarette lighter. So while I AM losing my marbles, it's not quite as
bad as I had originally thought

Eric

 

I did the same as the poster above. It is a 2016 Sonata. It's running from the door lock power to the outlet. The outlet side is reversed and the fuse removed to make sure there is no issue with running parallel.