I have a 2011 Prius and the 15A fuses for the power outlets keep blowing. (one in the middle in the lower dash, and one in the console compartment). They used to work fine. I've replaced the fuses twice, attempted to charge something in each outlet, and the device failed to indicate any charging activity. I pulled the fuses and both were blown again. I've had the "mouse in the ventilation system" problem in the past and I'm wondering if the mouse chewed on wires and caused a short. How can I access the length of this wire/circuit to inspect for shorts? Or, is there a known issue that might account for this behavior?
Are you sure the problem isn't the charger itself? Have you tried another one or at least tried the same charger in a different car? If the charger is ok and you suspect there may be a short, replace the fuses again with the car off and no charger plugged in. Count to 5, then pull them out. Are they blown already? If not, put them back in, start the car, count to 5, stop the car. Are they blown now? If that test is ok but it still blows when you plug in the charger then it's got to be the charger or a problem with the 12v socket.
@taxibuddy I had this problem and the fuse blows as soon as I start the car, with nothing plugged into either outlet. What does this mean?
It means that you have a short in the wiring or in the 12v outlet that is downstream of the fuse that is blowing.
Likely you have a dead short. Check to see if anything is in it. You can remove it, disconnect it. If it still blows the fuse, you know it's in the wiring. Maybe a rodent chewed on the wires?
So I wanted to provide an update for future benefit: in my case, the previous owner had tapped into one of the wires feeding into the center console outlet (PWR OUTLET) and although I've used it with no problem for about 9 years, it looked like the end of that wire may have gotten loose and was creating the short circuit. I removed the tap and taped up the wire, now both outlets are working fine. Oh, and I replaced the last blown fuse afterward. Note: also possible that there is still a problem with the outlet itself and I just "shook it" back into performing temporarily, but unless I start blowing fuses again I'm going to assume all is well. Thanks everyone for the help and some electrical system education!
