[Pedro Antonio]

Have a 2000 Forester S with a factory-standard cigarette lighter up front and single power outlet on the passenger side back cargo panel, both functioning.

The manual warns, "DON'T USE THE CIGARETTE LIGHTER OUTLET FOR ANYTHING BUT THE CIGARETTE LIGHTER...OR THE VEHICLE'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM COULD BE SERIOUSLY COMPROMISED AND EVEN CAUSE A FIRE. USE THE OUTLET PROVIDED TO THE LEFT AND BELOW THE DASHBOARD OR THE BACK OUTLET FOR ALL ELECTRICAL DEVICES!" Only there ISN'T any 'additional outlet to the left and below the dashboard' that I could find!

I want to be able to recharge my iPod or iPhone (I have a Belkin cradle with a goose-neck lighter insert that cradles and charges it) or maybe a radar detector. Obviously, the back outlet isn't practical for any of these.

Is this statement for real? I find it hard to believe a company like Subaru who has come up with so many innovative ideas would take the ONE power source in the car that's open to a driver and render it inaccessible for the most common of uses - recharging a device or providing it with marginal power - especially since most owners these days are non-smokers and using it to actually light a cigarette has become rather obsolete - at least for me.

Any advice?

 

[2.5x_sleeper]

You're not going to have any problems with what you want to plug in, which would not exceed the rating of the outlet. The outlet & the wiring is protected by a fuse, so if you overload it, the fuse would (should) blow, preventing any major problems. :wink:

Bobby...

['07 FSXT MODding Journal] ['03 X MODding Journal]

 

[ZapWizard]

Heck, I was under the impression that none of the outlets even supported a lighter, and all were electrical only.

The service manual for the "Front accessory power supply socket" is simply: ACC>Fuse>Socket>Ground. There isn't anything special about it.

The "Rear accessory, luggage room", and "Rear accessory, Console" are wired in parallel to a single fuse.

They probably put that warning in there simply due to the fuse rating on the front socket. Because the fuse is large enough to handle heating up a cigarette lighter...it is also powerful enough that if you plugged in some defective electronic device, it could put out enough current to cause a fire in that defective device.

 

[Matrix11229]

You're not going to have any problems with what you want to plug in, which would not exceed the rating of the outlet. The outlet & the wiring is protected by a fuse, so if you overload it, the fuse would (should) blow, preventing any major problems. :wink:

Bobby...

My cargo and middle outlets don't work. What's the locaton of their fuses ?

 

[azzsub]

so it there an outlet left and below the dash?????

 

[bbottomley]

I think the warning about not using the front outlet for anything but a lighter, even just once, and then using it again for a lighter, was written by lawyers. It probably addressed the (miniscule) risk of physical damage to the socket by an alien plug, which might cause a lighter to get stuck in the powered position, which might start a fire, which might destroy the Forester, which might result in you or your heirs suing Subaru.

As for the cargo and middle outlets, they're fed through fuse 19, the lower right fuse in the block behind the change tray. However, that feed is controlled by a key-on relay which is controlled by fuse 4, third from right in the top row. I'm not sure of the location of the relay, but I'll look harder if you need me to.

This info is for the 2003 Forester, but it's very likely that it would be the same in the 2004.