chrisvr6

The one time I needed to use it, it wouldn't work. I plugged in air pump to blow up a mattress and the switch in the dash kept tripping. Too much to handle? Come on! Its a very fitting item that would get plugged in all the time. I am going camping again and don't know what to do.

redrocks

Did you turn the ignition key to "ON" position?

chrisvr6

it was actually running.

Bob GX

Sounds like your air pump may be drawing more current than that outlet is designed for. Check your Owner's Manual & see if it tells what the outlet is rated for, then look at the mfg's tag on your pump and see what the power rating says - those two numbers will tell the story. My memory says that outlet doesn't provide a lot of power - maybe more for running a video game console, etc. I'd check the manual myself but I'm away from my car this week.

There are inflator pumps you can get that are rated to run from a typical 12V cigar lighter plug - that might be an alternate way ahead for you to consider, if it really is a rating problem, or if there's a fault with your car that you don't want to get fixed.

Bob GX

PS - not sure how familiar you are with electrical specs - the numbers you need to know are the current (stated as either watts or amps) and not the voltage (should both be 110). If you find the outlet specified in one term & the air pump in the other, please post what you find and I'll put them in the same unit of measure so you can tell if the outlet can provide enough power or not.

chrisvr6

I have a 12v air pump for tires but the 110v pump has a tube for air output to an opening on the mattress that is an 1.5". The tire pump is no option. I will check the amperage and compare.

dbacf

most likely the pump was drawing too much current,,,pluged in a X-box and did the same thing.

chrisvr6

I know the tacoma has an outlet in the bed. I wonder how it does.

Turbinator

Well, that's too bad, I would figure pumping up an air mattress (for camping, for example) would be one of the things you should be able to do with that outlet. I'll have to go home and try various accessories to see what doesn't trip the circuit.

Turby

chrisvr6

i know. its BS.

Bob GX

Update - got home so I could check the Owners Manual - it says the 110 VAC outlet is rated at 100 watts - not many AC motors desigend to run a pump are going to draw that little current. Did you get around to checking the rating on your air pump? That should tell the story. Most likely your car is operating as designed (so at least you're not faced with a repair).

The 12 Volt outlet is also a low rating for a pump - only 120 watts.

I did a little online checking and found a number of 12 V inflators - most that have a reasonable capacity come with clamps to attach directly to the battery posts - necessary for the high current draw. Lots to choose from in this category.

Hope this helps

chrisvr6

no rating on the pump anywhere. thanks for the input anyway.

SilverLady

Yes, the 100w watt outlet is extremely low for a utility vehicle. Plus, it does not have a ground and the plug area is recessed, making it very difficult to plug in even two prong charger transformers without using some kind of an adapter (or two prong extension cord). There is very little you can use this for (maybe a 60 watt light or cell phone charger if you have an adapter).

The 12v outlet is also weak.

However, I do regularly run a 12V air pump which I use to inflate the tires from the 12v outlet. My camping bed inflator uses reguar D size batteries, and I am always parked far away from the site anyway and have to carry stuff in, so won't inflate at the truck (Girl Scout camping). I've also used foot pumps.

Another option (I know, you shouldn't need it with this vehicle), is to purchase an auto battery/jumper/power source/air compressor and check the output to see if it is enough (I have one of these and used to carry it in my old SUV).

By the way, it is very rare for voltage/power or amp requirements not to be listed somewhere on any electrical item - I had always assumed it was required for at least UL listing.