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If your car stopped in traffic or anywhere before, you would agree that it is embarrassing. It draws unwanted attention to you. Partly, the problem could be from you; on the other hand, it could be from the car. For instance, bad alternator diode, weak battery connections, and charging problems are famous for halting a car’s movement on the road.
Out of all these, battery problems are common. In a situation where a car battery died while driving, there could be different reasons why that happened. Therefore, it is vital to find out the cause and take necessary actions to save time, stress, and effort.
Question
Why Did A Car Battery Die?
Battery problems are the order of the day for cars. However, the situation varies depending on the type of battery and its use. If your battery is drained, it could be because of the following reasons;
- Headlights
One of the fastest ways to drain a battery, which could ultimately affect you on the road, is to forget to turn off the headlights. Often, most people get home driving tired; they forget to turn off the lights in a bid to get settled. The consequence of this action is that the battery drains overnight and there isn’t much left for the day.
- Electrical Problems
Sometimes, a car battery dying would be due to electronics and accessories. Usually, if you turned your radio, AC, security alarm on, it would take a toll on the battery. Now, leaving those electronics to run for so long – mostly if you forgot to put them off overnight could affect battery life. Moreover, some of these electrical features are automatic; thus, they keep working unless you manually turn them off.
- Old Battery
Another significant cause of a battery dying while driving is when you use an old battery. Not everyone has the budget for a new battery; however, getting old or fairly-used ones doesn’t help much. The life of old batteries is half the new ones; therefore, there are chances that you would experience difficulties. Undoubtedly, you would know the risk from the point of purchase.
Read more on Bad Battery Symptoms.
- Poor Connection
Batteries maintain certain connections to keep them actively working. What happens when these connections are loose? It could affect the charging system so that the alternator doesn’t supply the battery’s power to run for the day. In essence, a poor connection would make the battery stop.
- Weak Alternator
Recharging a battery is the work of an alternator. If the alternator gets bad, there is no way the battery will stay charged for the activity. In turn, it could cause the car to stop anywhere. When you run diagnostics and discover a faulty alternator, you must get another – a weak alternator will always end up damaging a battery, whether old or new.
- Battery Discharge
As aforementioned earlier, different activities in a car could make the battery run out of juice. If you leave your car running for long with electronics in full use, the battery discharges. A flawed charging system would not help until the battery stops work.
- Temperature Influence
Temperature is one of the leading causes of a dead battery. Extreme temperatures, i.e., hot and cold, cause the battery case to swell. This case is responsible for chemical reactions in the battery; hence, limitations in this activity causes swelling.
What to Do When Car Battery Dies?
Now that you have figured out what is responsible for your battery dying while driving, what do you do? Keeping yourself, your passengers, and the car safe are top priorities.
- Get Car Off the Road
When your car stops working while driving, getting it out of the road should be the next thing you should do. The reason is that you don’t want to affect other drivers on the road with your situation. Besides, the roadside is the best place to figure out the problem, not in the middle. If you cannot coast the car to a safe spot, you could ask other drivers to help. In the process, make sure you use the emergency brake for safety.
- Restart the Car
Once you get your car to safety, you could decide to try again if it would start. This time around, check the battery connections and any other thing in the hood. Then take the ignition key out for a few seconds, and restart. If it doesn’t come on, you should consider calling a mechanic to get it checked.
- Use Emergency Flashers
Because you are parked by the roadside doesn’t mean you are entirely safe. An oncoming vehicle needs to know that you are there, especially at night. In this case, you put on emergency flashers for safety while you wait for the mechanic.
- Call for Help
If you cannot access your mechanic, calling for help should be the next thing to do. Here, you will have to call someone to tow your car to a repair shop. It would be best if you did this yourself because a tow truck would make you spend extra.
What Other Reasons Make Your Car Die While Driving?
If you are sure that the battery and alternator are in great condition, then there could be other reasons why your car stopped working on the road. They include;
[LIST](Fuel Issues): There is a good chance that you ran out of fuel without knowing. For new drivers, it might be an issue. Therefore, it is always advisable to check and fill up the fuel tank when there is an indication of low fuel.
- Bad Ignition Switch
: Vibration sometimes makes the ignition switch go bad; in the process, it affects power and stops car activity.
Conclusion
With this article’s help, now you know why you shouldn’t panic when your car battery dies while driving. Instead, what you have to do is get yourself to safety and ask for the help you need to get your car running again. Indeed, it is a great tip for new drivers.