Power outlet on lower dash broken

[Sheepdog]

I stuck a new gps power cable in the lower power outlet and when I pulled it out it was stuck-read too tight- and I pulled and the whole assembly came out.

It appears to have blade type connections to the power cable but is it that easy to fix? and has this happened to others easily or did I in fact break it?

[mingoglia]

Originally Posted by Sheepdog

I stuck a new gps power cable in the lower power outlet and when I pulled it out it was stuck-read too tight- and I pulled and the whole assembly came out.

It appears to have blade type connections to the power cable but is it that easy to fix? and has this happened to others easily or did I in fact break it?

That stinks. I have a cell phone charger that I thought the same thing was going to happen in my center console. I'm surprised some of these devices don't have better tolerances. After all, what's it been, like 50 years that a cigarette lighter have been in cars? You'd think they'd have the size down to a science by now.

[harold johnson]

The same thing happened to me when I plugged a GPS into the dash power plug. I went by the dealership, and they said it was not covered under warranty, and wanted over $100.00 to fix it!!!. Needless to say, I drove away.

[paulccullen]

Same thing happened to me in my '05. Cell phone charger fit too tightly, when I pulled it out the whole receptacle came loose and stopped working.

It was months later (when I was installing an audio module and had the dash apart) that I got round to fixing it. The blade connectors looked a little flimsy, so I soldered the buggers on so they wouldn't disconnect again.

I'm amazed that Toyota is still using the slightly undersized adapter in 2008 (four years after introducing the current model) as indicated by the OP.

[Sheepdog]

blast. I guess I shall have to learn how to fix it myself then!

[ny biker]

Hmm. I had so much trouble plugging my gps in I thought I had the wrong cord at first. I guess I'd better be careful with it.

[Sheepdog]

Paul, I wonder if their is a different sized unit I could hard wire in to replace the tight ones?

[GadgetCar]

I have the same problem with both plugs. How difficult is it to re-plug it in?

[Sheepdog]

judging on how easy it came out I would say the issue is how well will it stay in after being put back? Im hoping that a third party unit can be wired in but right now I dont have another car to try the plug in. Another non toyota that is. My wife said the phone charger was tight in her car. I did plug the gps traffic plug in the center console outlet but am not gonna be so quick to pull it out without using needle nose or the like to keep the outlet in place.

[Sheepdog]

has anyone done any work or mods on the lighter receptacles? Just wonder if there are any tips or tricks to getting to them? and anything I have to watch for in wiring a new plug in?

thanks