Fuses are designed to fail safely before any damage occurs to the wiring or devices in your car. So if your cigarette lighter fuse keeps blowing, that’s a very good indication that there’s an underlying problem that needs to be addressed. The problem could be in the cigarette lighter socket, the device you’re trying to plug in, or even the wiring to the cigarette lighter.

The only way to fix it so that your cigarette lighter fuse doesn’t blow again is to check every possible point of failure until you’ve identified the problem. But whatever you do, don’t even think about replacing your cigarette lighter fuse with a higher amperage fuse. Depending on the nature of your problem, replacing the fuse with a higher amperage version could damage the fuse box, melt wires, or even cause a fire.

Car cigarette lighters are simple devices that have changed little over the decades. The two basic components are a socket, which is connected to both power and ground, and a removable plastic or metal housing that contains a coiled metal strip.

In most cases, the inside wall of the socket is grounded and a pin in the center is connected to a fused power source. When you push the lighter into the socket, current flows through the coiled metal strip, causing it to heat up.