Important safety tip

[Kkelloww]

Hi,
New on the forum. I just bought a Blue GT2 3 days ago. The car is great but ...

I just got it out of the shop today. Apparently if you plug a rechargeable flashlight into the rear 12 volt outlet and you shut the car off, the power will flow backwards and burn out the ECU. Apparently Kia didn’t bother to put a 50 cent rectifier in the circuit which is rediculous. Also the flashlight powered the radio head unit and all the other systems in the car and they would never shut off. Everything would stay on overnight. Now I just got it back today and my lane keep assist system and the blind spot warning system are not working. Still like the car but a little dubious right now.

 

[Soca Boy]

Dude that sucks but, I seen others plug a few things in without killing the car. Sounds like a short circuit somewhere, hope things get better for you. Welcome to the forum by the way.

 

[DCBStingerGT]

Hi,
New on the forum. I just bought a Blue GT2 3 days ago. The car is great but ...

Welcome @Kkelloww , to our stingerforum, and Congrats on the recent purchase of your Micro Blue Stinger GT2, not great to hear the problems you have already experienced, hope it gets fixed soon, and thanx for the Safety Tip, hope you enjoy your Stinger issue free after this very early problem.

 

[app_master]

Hi,
New on the forum. I just bought a Blue GT2 3 days ago. The car is great but ...

I just got it out of the shop today. Apparently if you plug a rechargeable flashlight into the rear 12 volt outlet and you shut the car off, the power will flow backwards and burn out the ECU. Apparently Kia didn’t bother to put a 50 cent rectifier in the circuit which is rediculous. Also the flashlight powered the radio head unit and all the other systems in the car and they would never shut off. Everything would stay on overnight. Now I just got it back today and my lane keep assist system and the blind spot warning system are not working. Still like the car but a little dubious right now.

Ok? But very odd. So can we (DIY) add one in-line to this specific 12v outlet.... auto elec experts feel free to chime in here please.

 

[Chark]

Hi,
New on the forum. I just bought a Blue GT2 3 days ago. The car is great but ...

I just got it out of the shop today. Apparently if you plug a rechargeable flashlight into the rear 12 volt outlet and you shut the car off, the power will flow backwards and burn out the ECU. Apparently Kia didn’t bother to put a 50 cent rectifier in the circuit which is rediculous. Also the flashlight powered the radio head unit and all the other systems in the car and they would never shut off. Everything would stay on overnight. Now I just got it back today and my lane keep assist system and the blind spot warning system are not working. Still like the car but a little dubious right now.

Am I the only one curious to know more about the rechargeable flashlight that will reverse-feed the car's electrical system overnight? Is it the backup lamp for the lighthouse you live at?

 

[GenesisG70]

Wow sorry you hear that is funny because I have done the same thing but nothing happened to my car... Hopefully they fix your car asap

 

[Kkelloww]

It’s just a rechargeable lithium ion battery. Like a police baton flashlight.

 

[Kamauxx]

I've left headphones and cell phones plugged up for days at a time and never had any problems. Your car's issue probably wasn't related to the flashlight.

 

[eflyguy]

There is no connection to those outlets when the car is powered off. As stated, the problem was not the flashlight or USB outlet.

 

[Kkelloww]

I did notice that the dealership was fairly clueless about Stingers. They kept telling me they did not have to work on them ever. So you think they fed me some bull? They did replace the ECM.

 

[eflyguy]

Sounds like they just wanted to find a reason to make it your fault.

Unfortunately, the quality of training and experience in Kia-branded service departments can sometimes leave a lot to be desired. Plenty of horror stories her.

Most importantly, don't be afraid to leave a device plugged in, it's no going to kill the car.