wildeklave

One thing that is surprising to me is that the 12V and USB ports are all hidden in the armrest. This makes it difficult to hook up and charge a Tom Tom / Garmin or cell phone without wires all over the place. I also noticed that there is no 12V or USB chargers in the back seat but there is a 12V in the trunk / cargo area that you can run a wire from. If the NX is aimed at a younger audience then this is a mistake since the under 35 crowd uses their cell phones more than the over 60 crowd and would want them out in the open at all times.

Some are already buying CD or air vent mounts for their cell phones. It is very common for people to attach a portable GPS to their windsheld but in order to charge it you would need to run a wire all the way to the center arm rest.

If you have a passenger in the back seat for a long trip or kids using tablet they would have to run a wire into the center console to keep their device charged.

I looked around and see a number of products that may be good as a retro fit.

Here are some of the products that possibly can be added. They all prefer to use existing ports in the dash. These are typically blocked ports for options you may not have on your vehicle.

Toyota dual USB:
Toyota USB / Aux:

Aftermarket dual USB:

Aftermarket dual USB:



I have 2 pics attached of the left and right side of the steering wheel where I have blocked ports that can be used. I also wonder if the above ports can be set up within the CD storage slot above the CD player.

rumpletzer

I added a mini USB cable to my NX over the weekend. It powers my forward facing dash camera. I tapped the one of the cigarette lighter fuses (labeled Power Outlet on the fuse cover) under the steering wheel, ran it into a 12V to 5V converter, then ran the USB cable along the driver's side kick panel, up to the A-pillar, inside the A-pillar, into the headliner, and it comes out near the mirror. I removed the driver's visor to make it easier to fish the USB cable inside the headliner.

I've spliced into the cigarette lighter on a Honda Accord and run the same setup from the center console, behind the glove box, up the A-pillar, etc. I also did the fuse box under the steering wheel on a Corolla (which is very similar to the NX but the Corolla is much easier to disassemble).

I would have preferred to run power from the map light console that's already in the ceiling, but I tried prying at the overhead console for about 10 minutes and I couldn't figure it out. Rather than break something, I went with what I knew.

Tapping that fuse box is easy enough, and one of those Amazon add-ons should make it seamless. They appear to have the 12V to 5V converter built-in.


Also, I read the NX manuals this weekend. It showed a 120VAC power outlet in the back seat under the rear vents in the center console, but my car is neither equipped nor does it have a hole to add the option.

cb80923

I actually wired a 2 cigarette lighter port + 2 USB port thing to the fuse box - zip tied it to the under dash on the drivers side.... now radar detector spring cord can just hang down over the dash board and plug in and my Dash Cams just plug in. I have it sort of up and under, you really cant see it unless you get down to seat level. (Smilar to this:

wildeklave

nice

I see they have one with 3 cigarette ports too. While not the best solution it may be a good work around temporarily, especially for backseat passengers.

lexusbexus

This is a big annoyance for me and I haven't even picked up the car yet. Why are the power and USB ports available only inside the armrest and nowhere else (unless you count the oddly placed one the trunk)?? The center console should have extra ports like seemingly every other car out there; there's plenty of space for them around the radio controls. So in the end we have this bulky center stack that also has no ports and next to zero storage. Since we didn't get Nav, our GPS wire will be strung all along the center stack and wanting to charge phones requires lifting the armrest during motion. Not a deal breaker but a big drawback.

typocl

you'll notice that the armrest has an opening so that the USB cable can freely move without getting crimped

what I've done is left the end of the USB cable sticking out of that area so it's usually out of the way. When I need it, I just grab the end and pull to get more slack and connect my phone

obviously, it's more of a pain if dealing with phones with different connectors

15RC350F

I must agree; this is a serious shortcoming and a pretty inexpensive thing to add in the factory. There should definitely be a couple of USB ports in the stack by the A/C vents in the rear seat as well.

TeaAholic1

I actually don't like that. I find cables coming out of the head unit very ugly. The current place of it is good for me.

tresmith00

Along with the USB, storage in general, is lacking in the NX.

kchunger

Nice! Can you guys post some pics of where you put the ports? Anyone install it where wildeklave was planning, using the available blocked ports.

Thanks!

d8168055

Can you show us where you routed it inside the A-Pillar? I have a dash cam as well, but I tucked it under the weather stripping and I'm afraid it may get in the way of the air bags if ever deployed. How easy is it to remove the A-pillar liner?

avodian

I mounted a dual USB port switch in the dash blanks below the steering column from EBay. You have to make sure you get the Toyota small unit 23mm x 33mm to fit the blank.

TeaAholic1

I just get super long extension cables and wire them under the carpet. I don't like seeing wires.

Does anyone know a way to push the wire so it come up from under the armrest? Does the felt lining come up?

Newnx

Do we have a 12V in the trunk area? I couldn't find it in the trunk area. All I have for 12v is in the inside of center console for my 2018 NX.

avodian

The only issue with long cables is that you are limited to the factory USB output which on my Samsung S7 Phone shows a charge off approx 350mA. With the Ebay Usb port I get around 900mA charge which enables fast charging on my phone. Much quicker charge when you don't spend a long time in the car.