Car thing doesn't recognize own adapter

[offutto]

Plan

Premium

Country

USA

Device

Pixel 4XL

Operating System

1998 Mercedes-Benz E320

My Question or Issue

My car thing does not recognize its own adapter, the adapter that came from the box, when plugged into my cigarette lighter. i only got it working when I plugged it into a USB port in an outlet in my house. Is it a defect? How does it not recognize its own adapter?

[Novy]

Hi @offutto,

Welcome to the Community, and thank you for posting your question. 

Please note that the adapter needs to be plugged into a 12V power outlet. Could you make sure your cigarette lighter has that output? 

Keep in mind you can find more info here.

Let us know if you need extra help. 

[MattSuda]

Do you have another USB adapter you can try plugging into the socket in your car and then plug the Car Thing into that USB adapter?

That would help rule out if it is the car socket or if the included USB adapter has an issue.

[bobguymann]

Was there ever a solution to this issue? I just received mine today and is doing the exact same thing. The only cable and power that it accepts is a 30+ watt pixel stand charger... I have multiple QC 2.0 and 3.0 powered sources and multiple cables but nothing works. PS, the stock car adapter does not work with either of my cars. Kia Optima and a Honda Odyssey both around 2014 models. 

[Ver]

Hey @bobguymann,

Thanks for posting here.

Just to double-check-does the charger work? If it doesn't, we'd suggest you get in touch with our customer support here. The folks there can look into this further.

If you need anything else, the Community is here for you.

[bobguymann]

I just typed a long message and it gave me an error so...

It ended up working. Plug it in harder and it will likely be your problem. 

[kap-pz]

Plug in charger till it clicks 

[Marky0524]

Make sure you guys attach on the back of your car thing the wire all the way in, it requires force and a click to verify the power source is working. 

[Astrausroi]

This is the answer! It requires a much more firm push than most chargers. I was afraid I would break it. 

[bobbyb65]

Can I make a return for the car thing? I’m very frustrated I just spent $50 on something that doesn’t even work. You’re saying it pulls too much power for older vehicles yet I bought it because I have an older vehicle. It is what it is but I can’t imagine paying full price and having this happen. What a shame. 

[Yordan]

Hi @bobbyb65!

Of course, you can return your Car Thing within 14 days from from the date you purchased it. You just need to reach out to the folks over at Customer Support as they're the ones who can take care of that.

You can also check out this article for more info on returning Car Thing (if you haven't already).

Cheers!

[strakerc]

I solved it by *not* using the power adapter it came with 😂

[kcopp]

okay so on mine i can still see part of the silver. Are  you saying to push it like all the way in? I literally feel like i’m gonna break the thing lol

[emoberto]

Yes!! I literally took 15 minutes but you shouldn’t see the silver part of the charger that connects to the screen. Push it all the way in 🙂

[MissAMaru]

THANK YOU. I was scared that I wasted my money 😭

[Blahblaw]

If it makes you feel better mine has the same issue and was scratched out of the box. Worst support experience ever. 1.5 hours for, Hey we sent you something that doesn't work, would you mind paying return shipping so we can try again?

[Alexyssc]

THIS is the answer guys!! plug it in to the back of the device until it clicks & it’ll work 

[yomamasass]

you literally saved my life oh my god 

[SgtLickers]

So mine also has this issue, I've found that if you plug the car thing in and wiggle the plug around back and forth it will eventually register and get rid of the error

[Bganttscorp]

So I checked online that my Nissan Xterra has a 12 V power outlets. But even still, my car thing doesn’t recognize its own adapter. And I plugged it in harder I tried everything that’s been suggested on here. It definitely won’t take a different adapter. Has anybody tried something else?