Rear 12V cigarette port always on?

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Feb 7th, 2023 9:51 pm

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Feb 4th, 2023 6:10 pm

aomous [OP]: Deal Addict; Nov 15, 2020; 2243 posts; 4382 upvotes

Feb 4th, 2023 6:10 pm

Rear 12V cigarette port always on?

Hi, I have a 2017 Nissan Pathfinder and wanted to install a dashcam that I had as an extra at the rear of my car but when I plugged it in to the rear 12V port, my camera turned on even though the car was off. At first I thought maybe the power turns on when I unlock the car but even after driving and turning the car off it still stays on, unlike my front dashcam which turns off immediately. Is this normal for the rear 12V to always stay on? Or does it turn off after a while?

Also let's say it is always-on, how bad will it be for my battery? Will it drain the battery overnight?

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23 replies

Feb 4th, 2023 6:50 pm

hoob: Deal Fanatic; Jan 6, 2002; 6520 posts; 7077 upvotes; Toronto

Feb 4th, 2023 6:50 pm

Depends on car make and model. On some vehicle makes, models, model years, model trims, and specific ports within the vehicle, the 12V power may or may not be permanent and may or may not have delayed power off.

Some vehicles may also leave the ports powered on for some time (30seconds, a few minutes, etc) after the engine is off, or power them off immediately.

Only way to know is to test your car specifically, or research its owners manual and/or research online.

You can get a dashcam/device powering kit that cuts off power if the battery is below a certain voltage. (Voltages drop predictably as the batteries drain, so something like 11.8V is a cutoff value.)

A dashcam without a cutoff device could very well drain the battery after many days.

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+3

Feb 4th, 2023 8:43 pm

hightech: Deal Expert; Dec 23, 2003; 16969 posts; 5646 upvotes; Toronto

Feb 4th, 2023 8:43 pm

It looks like the rear 12V is always on according to this link: https://www.pathfindertalk.com/threads/ ... -on.28090/

You might have a switch to turn that off:

Keep in mind that if the dashcam/device powering kit has a cutoff on the battery voltage at 11.8 volts, that is a very low state of charge for the battery. On a cold day with a battery that has some level of sulfation (i.e. wear) you might struggle to start the vehicle. For reference, the charge voltage reference is below:

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+1

Feb 4th, 2023 10:38 pm

macnut: Deal Fanatic; Oct 26, 2008; 6910 posts; 2732 upvotes; Victoria, BC

Feb 4th, 2023 10:38 pm

Some automakers wire the fuse block with separate feeds for switched and always-on 12 cigarette lighter outlets.

This makes changing the outlet to your preferred state as easy as taking out the fuse for the rear outlet (in the present example) and moving over to a specific adjacent empty slot.

The key is knowing which specific empty slot. (Owner Forums usually know this sort of information.)

From googling it seems many Ford and Chrysler models do this, as well as some RAM trucks.

No guarantee that Nissan do this, although it does makes sense for any automaker to allow for this.
Then they can easily accommodate preferences for different markets. Or allow dealers to charge $150 to make the change upon customer request.
I recently did this on a VW ID.4 from info. provided in the Owner Forum. Took all of 3 minutes. Hard part was pulling out these new tiny fuses with the supplied plastic tool.
In that instance, the cargo area outlet was ignition switched by default. But always on was desired.

From what I can see, a 2017 Pathfinder doesn't have that redundant circuit.
Some people use a hack involving Add-a-Fuse taps on a similar low Amp switched circuit to convert the original always on feed to the cargo area outlet.
Need to be comfortable with wiring diagram and using a multimeter to identify the + and - sides of the slot you need to use (to avoid a trial and error process).

+3

Feb 5th, 2023 1:12 am

Canada_7: Deal Fanatic; Dec 30, 2006; 6121 posts; 1361 upvotes

Feb 5th, 2023 1:12 am

Depends on the car. Some 12V ports are always on while some turn off when the car shuts off. If a car has more than one, even then one might stay on while the other may turn off.

Feb 6th, 2023 10:18 am

tebore: Deal Guru; Feb 9, 2006; 13052 posts; 7864 upvotes; Brampton

Feb 6th, 2023 10:18 am

As mentioned some cars have always on 12V in the rear. This is so you can run air compressors, electronics while tail gating or a cooler when you're away.
You should check to see if that plug has rundown protection. Some have a 60-90 timer.

Your alternative is to tap a 12v feed that is switched. Or get a power supply that has 3 lines, 12v, gnd, and a switched signal.

Feb 6th, 2023 10:40 am

Xtrema: Deal Fanatic; Sep 1, 2004; 9964 posts; 9562 upvotes

Feb 6th, 2023 10:40 am

aomous wrote: ↑ Also let's say it is always-on, how bad will it be for my battery? Will it drain the battery overnight?

If you do continuous recording, it'll drain down in about a day to 3 days if your car sits for that long depends on age of battery.

Not counting the unnecessary burn on your SD card while stationary.

EDIT: Just saw your battery thread. Ya, you are screwed. If you run a dash cam on battery (parking mode or not), you basically have to replace car battery every 3-4 years guaranteed. Since it's continuously drawing down and unless you drive for living, you battery charging by alternator during driving sessions will never catch up.

+1

Feb 6th, 2023 11:04 am

GoodFellaz: Temp. Banned; Jun 24, 2015; 7649 posts; 2507 upvotes; 0 downvotes

Feb 6th, 2023 11:04 am

EASY SOLUTION. just find the cigarette lighter port in the front that is switched by the ignition, and simply tap into the positive and negative wires, run the wires yourself and tuck them under the trim/moulding, run it to the back, and buy a standalone cigarette outlet from canadian tire and plug in your dash cam into that and voila, your done, problem solved, not sure why this is so complicated

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Feb 6th, 2023 11:18 am

Ballroomblitz1: Deal Addict; Oct 2, 2018; 2423 posts; 2770 upvotes; Toronto

Feb 6th, 2023 11:18 am

macnut wrote: ↑ Some automakers wire the fuse block with separate feeds for switched and always-on 12 cigarette lighter outlets.

This makes changing the outlet to your preferred state as easy as taking out the fuse for the rear outlet (in the present example) and moving over to a specific adjacent empty slot.

The key is knowing which specific empty slot. (Owner Forums usually know this sort of information.)

From googling it seems many Ford and Chrysler models do this, as well as some RAM trucks.

No guarantee that Nissan do this, although it does makes sense for any automaker to allow for this.
Then they can easily accommodate preferences for different markets. Or allow dealers to charge $150 to make the change upon customer request.
I recently did this on a VW ID.4 from info. provided in the Owner Forum. Took all of 3 minutes. Hard part was pulling out these new tiny fuses with the supplied plastic tool.
In that instance, the cargo area outlet was ignition switched by default. But always on was desired.

From what I can see, a 2017 Pathfinder doesn't have that redundant circuit.
Some people use a hack involving Add-a-Fuse taps on a similar low Amp switched circuit to convert the original always on feed to the cargo area outlet.
Need to be comfortable with wiring diagram and using a multimeter to identify the + and - sides of the slot you need to use (to avoid a trial and error process).

Appreciate your information, i have been wrenching on my own cars for years and wasn't aware of this.
I have a Ford which is set up to have my front cigaret lighter ON at all times which is great, as i can charge a cell phone and hide it in my glove box as i am out of the vehicle.
I have a Hyundai which is set up to have my front cigaret lighter OFF when the ignition is off which i do not prefer, going to search to see if i can set to ALWAYS on as i prefer that scenario.

I can see the advantage of why manufacturers would set up one way or the other, would be nice to know that in some cases an owner can change to his specific needs.

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Feb 6th, 2023 1:39 pm

GoodFellaz: Temp. Banned; Jun 24, 2015; 7649 posts; 2507 upvotes; 0 downvotes

Feb 6th, 2023 1:39 pm

some cars have 2 in the front, one always on ,and one that shuts off when the ignition shuts off

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I'm Not a Wise Guy but more of a Good Fella~!
Drive an Escalade

Feb 6th, 2023 6:59 pm

aomous [OP]: Deal Addict; Nov 15, 2020; 2243 posts; 4382 upvotes

Feb 6th, 2023 6:59 pm

Xtrema wrote: ↑ If you do continuous recording, it'll drain down in about a day to 3 days if your car sits for that long depends on age of battery.

Not counting the unnecessary burn on your SD card while stationary.

EDIT: Just saw your battery thread. Ya, you are screwed. If you run a dash cam on battery (parking mode or not), you basically have to replace car battery every 3-4 years guaranteed. Since it's continuously drawing down and unless you drive for living, you battery charging by alternator during driving sessions will never catch up.

Thanks lol, ye I'm glad I didnt leave it plugged in otherwise pretty sure my battery would have been dead within the night.

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Feb 6th, 2023 9:12 pm

MrBungal: Deal Addict; Jun 15, 2021; 1338 posts; 1220 upvotes

Feb 6th, 2023 9:12 pm

hightech wrote: ↑ It looks like the rear 12V is always on according to this link: https://www.pathfindertalk.com/threads/ ... -on.28090/

You might have a switch to turn that off:

Keep in mind that if the dashcam/device powering kit has a cutoff on the battery voltage at 11.8 volts, that is a very low state of charge for the battery. On a cold day with a battery that has some level of sulfation (i.e. wear) you might struggle to start the vehicle. For reference, the charge voltage reference is below:

I'm pretty sure that table is incorect and once you hit under 12V, the battery is pretty much dead and can start a car only if it's significantly warm outside. In 0ºC good luck starting a car below 12V. At 11.8V the battery is useless, which was the reason why magic boxes that would've cut the power at 11.8V were useless (they also had 11.6V cutoff too, a big LOL). They came up with a new version a few years after with 11.8V and 12V cuttoffs, but if I had to select a voltage, I would do it at 12.3V at the least (12.4 for peace of mind)

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Feb 6th, 2023 9:45 pm

Possum77: Deal Addict; May 6, 2010; 1026 posts; 389 upvotes; Richmond Hill

Feb 6th, 2023 9:45 pm

My Volvo starts at 11.6-11.8 no problem.

Feb 6th, 2023 10:09 pm

billford: Deal Addict; Feb 6, 2011; 2063 posts; 2379 upvotes

Feb 6th, 2023 10:09 pm

Possum77 wrote: ↑ My Volvo starts at 11.6-11.8 no problem.

May have a dead cell. If it starts now, pretty soon it won't.

Feb 6th, 2023 10:23 pm

macnut: Deal Fanatic; Oct 26, 2008; 6910 posts; 2732 upvotes; Victoria, BC

Feb 6th, 2023 10:23 pm

billford wrote: ↑ May have a dead cell. If it starts now, pretty soon it won't.

One weak cell, maybe. But not a dead (2.12V) cell - that would leave the battery at 10.5V or so.

The chart is roughly correct. You want to be 11.8V at least to stand a good chance of starting (subject to weather, condition of vehicle, etc.).
But fact is, when repeated start attempts are made until the engine finally fires, the battery is probably well under 11.8V after that amount of exertion.

Feb 6th, 2023 11:09 pm

Possum77: Deal Addict; May 6, 2010; 1026 posts; 389 upvotes; Richmond Hill

Feb 6th, 2023 11:09 pm

billford wrote: ↑ May have a dead cell. If it starts now, pretty soon it won't.

this one is agm btw, before i had original 10 year old battery, was starting at 11.4, had to change due to portable fridge cutting off (I have permanently powered 12 v)

Feb 7th, 2023 1:40 am

MrBungal: Deal Addict; Jun 15, 2021; 1338 posts; 1220 upvotes

Feb 7th, 2023 1:40 am

Possum77 wrote: ↑ this one is agm btw, before i had original 10 year old battery, was starting at 11.4, had to change due to portable fridge cutting off (I have permanently powered 12 v)

AGMs are made to fully discharge and are performant even when the battery is low.

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Feb 7th, 2023 7:22 am

sandikosh: Deal Expert; Jan 7, 2007; 21079 posts; 5725 upvotes; Poormond Hill

Feb 7th, 2023 7:22 am

It is not a cigarette port. It is an auxiliary port.

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Feb 7th, 2023 9:12 am

GoodFellaz: Temp. Banned; Jun 24, 2015; 7649 posts; 2507 upvotes; 0 downvotes

Feb 7th, 2023 9:12 am

sandikosh wrote: ↑ It is not a cigarette port. It is an auxiliary port.

no its a cigarette lighter port

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Feb 7th, 2023 11:49 am

mxthor3: Deal Addict; Oct 1, 2015; 2872 posts; 4087 upvotes; Barrie, ON

Feb 7th, 2023 11:49 am

Pretty normal to have these ports always hot. Depends on your amp draw of whatever is plugged into it whether this is going to be a problem or not.

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