JBL Xtreme Not Charging

JBL Xtreme Bluetooth speaker, top front view, showing buttons and cloth grill.

Most JBL Bluetooth speakers, including the Xtreme, offer portable operation via a battery inside. And when that battery goes dead, you can recharge it via an AC or car adapter. The Xtreme comes with a 19 volt AC adapter. But sometimes, the JBL Xtreme is not charging fully, or at all, even when you connect the adapter. So it’s this issue that we offer solutions for here.

How to Tell that the JBL Xtreme is Not Charging

You can tell that the JBL Xtreme is not charging, by reading the battery status gauge on the base front. Now this meter starts blinking red during play to let you know that the battery is running low. And the flashing does not stop, even when you plug in the charger. It should change to blinking white now. If it does, then this indicates that the speaker is getting some power. But if the meter keeps flashing red, then recharging is not occurring.

You can also feel the AC adapter’s side panel ten or fifteen minutes into the charge cycle. The speaker itself heats slightly as well during correctly charging operation. But if you feel no warmth, then again, your JBL Xtreme is not charging.

Then too, the battery gauge normally shows battery recharging progress. I.e. as the unit recharges, more and more of the lamps light up white. But if more lights don’t come on after a couple hours, then recharging is likely not going well.

Thus when the speaker is not charging, you’ll want to find out what’s wrong and how to fix it. So in this post, we offer reasons why this might occur. Then we give possible solutions.

JBL Xtreme Not Charging: Reasons and Fixes

AS we said above, it’s normal that the battery level gauge blinks red when the battery is about dead. But this meter should start flashing white when you attach the charger.

The JBL Xtreme battery gauge, showing the battery nearly dead. Showing the blinking red lamp.

Normally though, this meter only displays white lights. The number glowing tells you how full the battery is.

The battery gauge with all its lights glowing This means that the battery has a full charge.

Or, all lights in this gauge are dark.

The battery status gauge all dark.

If the gauge does not change to white when you connect the charger, then several things might cause this. We list these below thus.

1.The Power Outlet May Be Dead

The Problem

The adapter may not output any power because it is not receiving any to begin with. This can happen due to a defective AC or car circuit or tripped breaker. A blown fuse, faulty wiring, or power failure may also be to blame.

The Fix

Check that your receptacle has power by plugging in a lamp or other device. Set circuit breakers back to ON if they tripped. And if the outlet has a light switch that controls it, then flip it to the ON position.

2. The Adapter is Faulty

The Problem

The JBL Xtreme not charging can also occur because the adapter provides SOME but not FULL charging current. Now as the unit ages, its output energy can decrease over time. So the adapter might not deliver the correct amount presently. When this happens, the gauge may flash white but not gradually advance. Or it may advance, but more slowly than usual. Note that this speaker needs 3 amps at 19 volts to fully recharge in the spec time of 3.5 hours. But charging speed may not go that fast if the charger cannot not deliver these requirements.

Charger adapter and cord that comes with the JBL Xtreme Bluetooth speaker.

The Fix

The solution is to replace the power adapter, preferably one that delivers the 19 volts at 3 amps (57 watts). We advise that you order a replacement directly from JBL for fastest yet safest charging.

3. The Battery in the Xtreme is Faulty

The Problem

As lithium ion batteries age, they lose their ability to take on a full charge. And the characteristics of the current they draw changes as they get older. Normally, as a battery recharges, it draws less current as it fills. But in cell failure, it may draw the wrong amount of amps. Then this may confuse the charging circuits. So they might behave like no charging is going on. Thus they make the gauge show that charging is not in fact happening.

The Fix

To address this, replace the battery. But keep in mind that you can’t easily get the old one out of the JBL Xtreme. Indeed, changing the battery means that you must take the speaker apart, and this is a delicate exercise.

Also note that doing this likely breaks the water resistant seal. So the Xtreme will no longer be safe to use, should you expose it to water.

Breaking this seal may well change the sound quality too. So get someone to change the old battery who knows how to pick the right replacement. They should also be able to restore the seal as they reassemble the speaker. A good battery should fit well inside. Plus it should provide 3.6 volts and at least 10,000 mAh (37 watt-hours). But we suggest using only JBL brand batteries specifically for this speaker.

4. The Xtreme Might be Defective when the JBL Xtreme Does Not Charge

The Problem

Even if you have the right adapter, the current arriving at the battery may be outside the correct range. This can happen when the battery management circuits inside the Xtreme fail. Note that these systems monitor the battery. Plus, they shut down the current when they deem the battery full.

But when they break, the battery might get no power at all. Thus, it never recharges. Again, the battery gauge might never stop flashing, even with the charger present. Furthermore, the speaker may not last as long per charge. And it might not play at all without the charger.

The Fix

The best answer here, is simply to get a new JBL Xtreme. Why? Because the electronic parts in this model are quite small. So unless you can confidently replace the circuits yourself, just buy another speaker. This will save you a bunch of aggravation.