Need help with diagnosing issue

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GoodGuyGreg

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Sanford, NC
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2011
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4.7L
I plugged in a usb charger to the cigarette lighter port and now I don’t have Cruise control, horn, high beams, or steering wheel buttons as well as the AC turns on but blows hot air. All fuses are good and replaced the relay but still no luck. Connected a scanner to it and when the truck is on the scanner its saying the vehicle is not on. Any idea what it could be?
 

Atcer2018

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Virginia
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3.6
I plugged in a usb charger to the cigarette lighter port and now I don’t have Cruise control, horn, high beams, or steering wheel buttons as well as the AC turns on but blows hot air. All fuses are good and replaced the relay but still no luck. Connected a scanner to it and when the truck is on the scanner its saying the in vehicle is not on. Any idea what it could be?


What happened when you removed the charger from the cigarette lighter port? How long was the usb charger plugged into the port? Very possible the charger drained your battery as a poor/dead battery can cause the problems you describe. Not sure if the 2011 has constant or switched power to the cigarette lighter. Constant power with a small draw can weaken the battery. I’d test the battery to rule it out as it’s the easiest culprit to check. Please keep in mind a battery with a bad or weak cell can start the truck yet play havoc with electronics.
 
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GoodGuyGreg

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Sanford, NC
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What happened when you removed the charger from the cigarette lighter port? How long was the usb charger plugged into the port? Very possible the charger drained your battery as a poor/dead battery can cause the problems you describe. Not sure if the 2011 has constant or switched power to the cigarette lighter. Constant power with a small draw can weaken the battery. I’d test the battery to rule it out as it’s the easiest culprit to check. Please keep in mind a battery with a bad or weak cell can start the truck yet play havoc with electronics.

It was plugged in for about 20 min when my airbag light came on, the ac went hot and wipers stopped. I pulled over, turned everything off, unplugged it and started it back up. Wipers started to work but everything else (horn, cruise control etc) stopped working. Battery tested good.
 

Jeepwalker

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Hmmm. Hard to say. Does the 12V outlet still work? Try swapping the A/C relay for another one in your fuse box. Maybe the new relay you bought is flaky. Make sure all fuses are pushed 'down' too.

It wouldn't hurt to run to a parts store (Autozon/OReilly, etc) and get a free battery load test performed. Have them do an alternator output test too.

If both are good and none of the above stuff works, before you call it a day you might consider unhooking the battery cables, clean the terminals on both ends. Leave the cables unhooked for a couple hours (I would personally tie the [unhooked] cable ends together and leave overnight), charge the batt in that time if it needs it. Then hook everything back up in the AM in the off-chance it resets things. It might not, but if it does, it was an easy fix. If it doesn't, you also learned something and it didn't cost you anything but a little time while you were sleeping.

Have you done a general Google Search on your issue?
 
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Atcer2018

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It was plugged in for about 20 min when my airbag light came on, the ac went hot and wipers stopped. I pulled over, turned everything off, unplugged it and started it back up. Wipers started to work but everything else (horn, cruise control etc) stopped working. Battery tested good.


The charger probably isn’t related to the bigger issue. Could all be coincidence with the timing of the charger. Is the AC still out? Trying to find a common supply or ground with the AC and your other outages.
 
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