# My car cigarette lighter stopped working- suggestions? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 16, 2005, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-cigarette-lighter-stopped-working-suggestions/312740 "2005-07-16T01:20:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-cigarette-lighter-stopped-working-suggestions/312740/1 "2005-07-16T01:20:18Z")
I drive a 3.5 year old Saturn. The cigarette lighter recently stopped working (all else seems to work fine), which doesn’t bother me in the least about cigarettes of course but I use it to power cell phones and other things. I don’t see a fuse marked “cigarette lighter” on the fuse box guide. Does anybody have any suggestions as to what can cause this and how to remedy it? Thanks for any info. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-cigarette-lighter-stopped-working-suggestions/312740/2 "2005-07-16T01:53:05Z")
Well, I was going to suggest quitting smoking, but that seems irrelevant. A blown fuse is your most likely bet. See if you can pick up (or just flip through) a copy of your car’s maintainence manual, or post this question at a car-specific board, like [this one.](http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX?ed_displayMakeTopicIndex@170.1TOVdb6wFC5.0@.ee9203e!conflimit=Maintenance%20%26%20Repair) ---
**Author:** ![Rhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/59ef9b/32.png) [@Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhubarb)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-cigarette-lighter-stopped-working-suggestions/312740/3 "2005-07-16T01:57:34Z")
Depending on your make of car, the cigarette lighter fuse could be in the fuse box inside the car or another one under the hood. Remember, **Before** all else fails, RTFM. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tower\_Dweller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@Tower\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tower_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-cigarette-lighter-stopped-working-suggestions/312740/4 "2005-07-16T02:38:08Z")
I’m certainly not saying this is the smartest way to do it, but it’s what _I_ did in the same situation. Take each fuse out, one at a time, and look and see if it’s burned out. You should be able to see how the little wire inside is burned out halfway through. Replace whichever one is burned out. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-cigarette-lighter-stopped-working-suggestions/312740/5 "2005-07-16T02:51:35Z")
> [@Tower Dweller](#): > > I’m certainly not saying this is the smartest way to do it, but it’s what _I_ did in the same situation. Actually, that’s pretty smart, as long as he’s careful not to touch any metallic connectors. At worst, he might have to reset his clock/radio stations afterward. There might even be spare fuses in the box. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-cigarette-lighter-stopped-working-suggestions/312740/6 "2005-07-16T03:49:49Z")
It may not be a fuse. It’s possible that the ground wire, or the wire providing power to the lighter outlet came off. This can happen when the outlet is used consistantly (lighter shoved in/out, fussbuster cord, etc…). The motion cases the wire in back to eventually jiggle off. For that you’ll need a flashlight and the ability to stick your head uder the dash to look-n-see. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-cigarette-lighter-stopped-working-suggestions/312740/7 "2005-07-16T13:25:34Z")
> [@Tower Dweller](#): > > Take each fuse out, one at a time, and look and see if it’s burned out. You should be able to see how the little wire inside is burned out halfway through. Replace whichever one is burned out. In the case of a lighter element the fuse element is a bit larger than “tiny.” ---
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-car-cigarette-lighter-stopped-working-suggestions/312740/8 "2005-07-16T15:07:59Z")
Many cigarette lighter fuses are in-line and will be found behind the fuse on the wire leading to the power source. Look there.