Cigarette lighter & 12v port
 

Should my 12 volt port be live even without the key in the ignition? I hadn't used it to charge my phone in a long while until today and I noticed that my charger light is still on after locking up the truck.

Mine stays on too if I leave a charger in it. So I'm gonna go with yes , it's normal

Yes

The way it should be.

On many cars today it isnt , (i drive a lot of rentals for work), and its aggravating.

One reason is when you stop for gas etc, if have gps plugged in, it cuts power off.
Another is simply abilty to charge phone, camera, camcorder, etc in car at kids sporting events while your doing something else.

Ok, was worried that something shorted out and it was gonna drain my battery.

That would be irritating lol. Specially if you had to reset a directional. Having to remember to leave the key on or at accessory might prove a little difficult (a doh! moment perhaps). Perhaps a battery backup for the GPS unit, IF possible.

Yeah. I keep volume off because directions are irritating if dont need.
Theres a prompt to switch to battery power if desiredt i often dont look at it. It turns off after 30 sec.

I like my truck where it stays on and i dont worry about it.

People still use a GPS that's not in their phone (or integrated into the stereo)?

My Escape actually has one socket that is switched, and one that is not.

It will time out after about 30 mins.

Yep.

Standalone unit is superior for visibility of screen and ease of use while driving.
Not always good to combine things. I like to see gps and use stereo .

. Many cars have factory nav , but not combined with stereo

Few rental cars have built in nav or screens that can mirror a phone anyway.