Can't charge my phone in my 2016 Leaf?

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Joined
Jun 5, 2024
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Yall have been helpful so here's another question. Is this by design, that I get almost no charge on my phone plugged into the Leaf USB charger? Like it only charges a little if the phone is completely off. Tried different cables to be sure...

It's actually been a serious problem for me more than once, I really haven't found the Leaf navigation very user friendly so I mostly rely on my phone to navigate and find chargers. Fun to get into the middle of nowhere and lose your directions! Trying to remember to carry a battery backup before I take any longer trips now.

Thanks!
 
In my 2015 S I use a 12V "cigar lighter" adapter to USB, and my phone charges fine (1-2A). If I just plug it into the USB port, not much charging occurs.


I've read there might be USB connectors for charging in the back seat (rear of console) but I don't know what trim package or years that might be.
 
Yall have been helpful so here's another question. Is this by design, that I get almost no charge on my phone plugged into the Leaf USB charger? Like it only charges a little if the phone is completely off. Tried different cables to be sure...

It's actually been a serious problem for me more than once, I really haven't found the Leaf navigation very user friendly so I mostly rely on my phone to navigate and find chargers. Fun to get into the middle of nowhere and lose your directions! Trying to remember to carry a battery backup before I take any longer trips now.

Thanks!
This post attracted me because of the impossible claim. If every thing is functional this is more or less impossible. Which means something isn’t working right. There are 3 or 4 links in this chain: the cigarettes lighter/accessories port has to actually be putting out 12v, the adaptor has to be taking in 12v and turning it into 5v. That 5v has to successfully travel to the phone which must be able to take it. So something is not right with one of these things. The question is which one?
It’s mostly6 a matter of using a multimeter on things and making sure connectors aren’t messed up.
 
I believe the OP is referring to the USB port(s) in the dash, not an adapter plugged into the 12v accessory port.

On that note, I do use a 12v adapter to get more power (~3A).

When I'm at my office tomorrow, I can measure the output of the dash panel USBa port.
 
The power output from that USB port on older Leafs is low, so it may have problems charging modern phones. That old USB port was originally designed for old iPhones and iPods, which required low power for charging.
There are old posts on this forum about this issue.

As mentioned by others, your best bet would be to use an adapter on the "cigarette lighter" port (power outlet) for charging your phone.
 
Yep, it's not impossible... the USB-A port on the center console, which allows the iPod interfacing, is driven by the head unit of the stereo. It could legitimately deliver as little as 500 ma (0.5A) by default under USB 2.0. In comparison to 1.5A or 3.0A defaults of later standards (USBBattery Charging 1.2 and USB-C) that can be pretty slow. Don't forget this is with "the phone on", so there is overhead.
 
I believe the OP is referring to the USB port(s) in the dash, not an adapter plugged into the 12v accessory port.

On that note, I do use a 12v adapter to get more power (~3A).

When I'm at my office tomorrow, I can measure the output of the dash panel USBa port.
Same difference. The adapter is just pat of the car then 12 to 5 still needs to be done. Someone mentioned it was the stereo. There was 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, 3.1 and 3.2. (With 3.2 type 1 actually being 3.0 and only 3.2 2x2 actually being 3.2. Marketing B.S. continues on..) Each had a larger and larger amount of available power. If it’s 1.1 I could definitely see it. This means there is an argument for replacing the stereo with something newer to solve the problem. The issue then is the wiring TO the port may not be able to handle it. Wikipaedia will have deets on which version did what. My memory is that later versions of USB actually did more than 3 amps. So the cigarette lighter will only get you so far. Apple “fast charging” is something like 15 iirc. There may be more than one level of it.
 
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So far I have only seen these 12V dash outlets in 201x Japanese cars fused at 10A (2010 Sentra, 2015 Prius V, 2015 Leaf). The additional one in the rear of the Prius V is also 10A. That's 120W. Maybe the receptacle itself could be rated at 600W, but I think that's unlikely for cars that never expected an actual cigar lighter element to be used..
 
The 12V "cigarette lighter" power sockets in an e-NV200 (almost the same electrics as a LEAF, and the one I have circuit diagrams for) are rated for maximum 10 amps. That's 120 to 140 watts maximum (when switched on, the nominally 12 V circuits can be up to 15 V, but often 14.something). A double or triple 12V-to-USB adapter can provide plenty of power to run a tablet or phone for navigation. The USB socket in the dash is intended for connecting a memory stick, and can't provide much power at all, probably just 500 mA at 5 V, which is 2.5 W.

I recommend a double USB charger adaptor with a (12 V) voltage display. Cheaply available online, and allow a quick check that the car's 12 V power system is working properly as well as providing power to run both the driver's navigation gadget and another gadget for a passenger. The total energy used is not enough to have a measurable effect on the range between car charges.

I also have a rarely-needed 12V adapter for my laptop computer rated at 95 W. That works well enough -- although it was bought mainly after a family member wanted to work from a back seat on a long trip home from holiday/vacation.
 
The 12V "cigarette lighter" power sockets in an e-NV200 (almost the same electrics as a LEAF, and the one I have circuit diagrams for) are rated for maximum 10 amps. That's 120 to 140 watts maximum (when switched on, the nominally 12 V circuits can be up to 15 V, but often 14.something). A double or triple 12V-to-USB adapter can provide plenty of power to run a tablet or phone for navigation. The USB socket in the dash is intended for connecting a memory stick, and can't provide much power at all, probably just 500 mA at 5 V, which is 2.5 W.

I recommend a double USB charger adaptor with a (12 V) voltage display. Cheaply available online, and allow a quick check that the car's 12 V power system is working properly as well as providing power to run both the driver's navigation gadget and another gadget for a passenger. The total energy used is not enough to have a measurable effect on the range between car charges.

I also have a rarely-needed 12V adapter for my laptop computer rated at 95 W. That works well enough -- although it was bought mainly after a family member wanted to work from a back seat on a long trip home from holiday/vacation.
I put one of these from Amazon (with a QC3,0 chipset) in my Prius V, and it's great. I haven't really needed the voltmeter, but the fast charge has been really nice. The Toyota one even fits in place of one of the blank switches, and a plug set to go in-line with the cigar lighter without splicing, though I don't see one like that for Nissan,
 
Yall have been helpful so here's another question. Is this by design, that I get almost no charge on my phone plugged into the Leaf USB charger? Like it only charges a little if the phone is completely off. Tried different cables to be sure...

It's actually been a serious problem for me more than once, I really haven't found the Leaf navigation very user friendly so I mostly rely on my phone to navigate and find chargers. Fun to get into the middle of nowhere and lose your directions! Trying to remember to carry a battery backup before I take any longer trips now.

Thanks!
I never tried to charge via USB before but then again, my charging needs extend well beyond that anyway. I have a 3 headed charger plugged into the 12 volt port. Phone, traffic cam and electric blanket all running at once (at least in Winter...) several times w/o issue.
 
12V Cigarette outlets are traditionally rated at 50A... that's 600W.
That will get you plenty far when it comes to mobile device charging, compared to 15A @ 5V... a paltry 65W.
So why was one person sayin 3 amps? If it will do 50 there won’t be a problem I think.
 
A little warning though... when I connected a 12V->USB adapter to the "cigarette lighter" port, my mirrors refused to fold/unfold. Took me a while to figure out that it was caused by the USB adapter. This adapter works fine in other cars, but apparently the electric circuit of the Leaf is a bit flaky. So if you encounter problems like this, look at your cigarette lighter.
 
Yall have been helpful so here's another question. Is this by design, that I get almost no charge on my phone plugged into the Leaf USB charger? Like it only charges a little if the phone is completely off. Tried different cables to be sure...

It's actually been a serious problem for me more than once, I really haven't found the Leaf navigation very user friendly so I mostly rely on my phone to navigate and find chargers. Fun to get into the middle of nowhere and lose your directions! Trying to remember to carry a battery backup before I take any longer trips now.

Thanks!
I have only noticed that if I leave my iPod when the Leaf is off, the iPod eventually runs out of juice, so maybe the current provided by the USB is too low to maintain an Apple product battery?

It is supposed to provide 5v and 0.5A so 2.5watts at best. That is the USB standard anyway.

There have been a lot of other posts about your problem.

Using the 12V accessory plug and a USB add-on might work better to provide enough power.
 
Yes, that solves it. Now I'm just wondering what the USB port is even for, even in 2016 it seems like it wasnt providing enough power for most devices.
 
Yes, that solves it. Now I'm just wondering what the USB port is even for, even in 2016 it seems like it wasnt providing enough power for most devices.
Plug a USB flash drive in with music on it (MP3 files)...and it will play them! It can also be used to interface an iPod/iPhone to the entertainment system.
As has been pointed out, "old" USB chips only supplied ~.5A...while the newer ones typically supply ~2A (four times the power). When I need to charge my phone, I do it from the cigarette lighter.
 
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