Garmin nuvi is no longer charging via car adapter. I plug it into the car lighter as usual, but it never charges and continues to operate off of battery life.

If a wall powered charger is used it could be bad or the connection from it to the unit damaged---happens if the charger is connected/disconnected a lot----same thing can happen if using the lighter plug adapter for charging.

To charge you use the cigarette lighter adapter! Not USB port.

Hello,

Recharging the battery is done by connecting the nuvi to a vehicle power cable in the car through the vehicle power accessory outlet or cigarette lighter.
The unit can also be charged via a powered USB port off your computer via the USB power/data cable or an AC power adapter through the USB power/data cable.

The unit will take a very slow charge via your computer. I tell most people no it doesnt charge VIA your PC just because it takes soooo long. I recommend getting a new power cable from GPSCity. Just call them up or follow the like to the cable you need.

** This cable is for the Nuvi 200 series GPS units
http://www.gpscity.ca/garmin-mini-usb-12v-cigarette-lighter-adapter-for-nuvi-in-web-packaging.html

Cheers

You will need to Garmin power cable. If you use one for your phone it will not work properly. Here is a link to the cable you need.

http://www.gpscity.com/garmin-mini-usb-12v-cigarette-lighter-adapter-for-nuvi-in-web-packaging.html

Cheers

Given that you've tried other chragers, it seems likely the problem is battery related - especially if you've already tried steve's suggestion. How old is your nuvi? It is not uncommon for GPS batteries to go down after a year or two as they are subjected to temperature extremes and repeated charges and discharges. If the battery is the problem, it makes more sense to replace it for $30 than to spend another $300 on a new GPS. This can be done easily enough:

The company that produced the video sells a kit which includes the battery and tools necessary to do this yourself if you'd like. See: http://www.newpower99.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=GARMIN+NUVI+205W&Show=ExtInfo

I hope this helps. Happy travels!

Best,
Rob

If there are no power points in your vehicle, you might have to purchase a battery-operated powerpack and plug the GPS into that via a USB/AC adapter.

Are you using the same port on the Nuvi to connect the car adapter and the ac charger, or two different ones? If not, then the jack could be broken (solder joint, pin?).

The Nuvi units are short on battery life and therefore Garmin has given you a connector other then USB to power your unit while in a car. You need to carry that. It's just a design flaw. If you try to rely on the battery of your Garmin Nuvi, you have less than 2 hours even on a full charge. And carrying the USB adapter which plugs into the cigarette lighter socket won't allow your unit to run while charging. so you need to take the adapter charger bracket that comes with the unit if you need it for longer trips.

You'll need to open the case and replace the battery. Batteries can be purchased online here or a couple other places on the web by searching for "nuvi 360 replacement battery". I'd get the 1400mah or greater for a replacement, it'll burn a little longer than the weaker models. If the unit operates when plugged into the charger, then the fuse and cable are good. Open the case by removing the retaining screws, then carefully prying the unit apart. The new battery simply plugs into the connector after removing the old one.