Phone charger blows fuse

Name Sue Manning and Mark Kendall
Car Volvo C70
Problem Phone charger blows fuse

Charging phones on the move has always been a painless exercise for Mark Kendall and his partner, Sue Manning. Until now. Every time Sue uses an iPhone charger in her Volvo C70 it causes the car to blow a fuse.

Its the same phone and charger that worked without issue in her and my previous cars, Mark said. The fuse blows when she removes the charger from the C70s 12-volt socket.

Volvo suggested leaving the charger in place, but Mark and Sue didnt want to leave anything on display in the cabin that might tempt would-be thieves. Volvo also recommended using an approved charger.

When Mark and Sue asked what this meant (as Volvo couldnt supply one), they were told to buy a charger from Apple. In fact, Sues charger had been bought from an Apple store, so by Volvos definition they were already using an approved product. Where could they go from here?

Helpdesk contacted Volvo to see if we could help Mark and Sue. Volvo told us: A dealer has checked over the car with Volvos technical team, and found no fault with it or its electrical system. Alternative items were tested with the vehicle, all of which worked without fault.

Volvo is adamant theres no fault with the car, but thats not Mark and Sues experience. The couple have since tried five different chargers. All five blew a fuse in the C70 when removed.

If this happens to you
1 Check the charger works without fault in other vehicles.
2 If it does, ask the dealer to check the cars electrics.
3 If the car and charger simply wont work together, find another way to charge your phone.