A quick question. I use a tracphone simply to have calling capability when traveling. Don't use it much at all. When I plug it into the USB port that is in the console it seems to lose it's charge if I don't drive for a couple of days. Are these ports only hot when the truck is running? Is there an easy workaround for this if this is true?

My old silverado (pre USB) had two cigarette lighter type plugs. One was hot when the truck was running the other hot all the time. Could it be that one of the usb ports is like this? Is the 12 volt plug on the dash hot when not running the engine?

 

I know for sure that the usb ports are only hot when you open the door or have the truck running. I believe the 12 volt power is the same way. It sucks but I don't think any stay hot when the truck is off.

 

This is a major pet peeve of mine.

I can understand the USB being off when the key's off, but it makes no sense for the 12 volt power outlets (used to call them cigarette lighter plugs) to turn themselves off when you leave the vehicle. Some of us want to charge cell phones or power laptops when the vehicle is off...

LAME!

 

I agree. A phone can be charged with any of the ports. At least one should be live. My phone, a tracphone which I leave in the truck, will go dead and turn itself off. When I get into the truck it will start to charge then I've got to later turn it on for it to connect with bluetooth. Anyone find a workaround for this?

 

Yeah, I have a setup with a laptop in the cab and have a 12v adapter for it I plug into one of the 12v plugs. Previously with every other vehicle I have owned including my previous truck, 2005 F150, I could leave the laptop on and it will continue to run off of power. Now, after a couple minutes with the truck off, it will go on battery, and eventually turn off when it goes into power saving mode, and my phone will stop charging.

This seems really dumb

 

My old truck had one power port that was always hot. I'm disappointed to read that this one does not. It turned out to be really useful.

 

I noticed when I plug my IPhone in to charge on my 2016, it goes to the silent mode, must be a safety feature. When I unplug it from USB port it goes back to normal.

 

I am assuming the reason the 12V ports don't operate without the key is to prevent the devices from draining the battery down.

 

USB can pull a max of 1 amp 12v.

All trucks up to this had a hot 12v port or cigarette lighter plug, this was never an issue before...

 

Has anyone come up with a workaround for this yet??? I can't believe that the ports turn off and theres no way to mod that setting. Sooo dumb. Went camping last weekend and felt like an idiot running my 5.0 to get a trickle of power to charge my cell phone. I mean seriously???

 

All you had to do was cut the line and place pos and neg leads directly to the battery so you don't need to run the truck in a pinch.

 

It can be worked around if you wanted to, it's probably driven by the CJB

 

Not likely my iPhone is going to kill the battery. This is the only thing I don't like about my 2016 F150, if I had known before I bought it it would have been a deal breaker.

 

really? It would've been a deal breaker? That's not dramatic!

 

A person only shows their ignorance when they open their mouth, or in this case, touch their keyboard......