Can a Car Battery Die While Driving? A Complete Guide
As we all know that the car runs on fuel including petrol, CNG and diesel but some of its
parts require electricity to run. For instance, to start the engine, you need to have a
battery, which provides current to run the engine.


When you turn the ignition on, the car battery supplies current to the engine, in return,
it gets started. Most automotive machines require DC charge to work properly but it is
limited because the batteries will eventually discharge completely, with no remaining
power to give.
To address this problem, cars also have alternators. Alternators work to feed the
electrical components in your vehicle and also charge the battery while the car is
running.

Now you must be wondering how this alternator works to produce direct current. When
the combustion occurs within the engine, it rotates the pulleys under the bonnet. These
pulleys, in return, move the alternator which generates the alternating current that
passes through the magnetic field to produce direct current.
This particular article is written to encounter the question that can a car battery die
while driving. So the answer to this is that it is less likely to happen that your car battery
dies while driving because the alternators continuously work to charge the battery while
the car is running. But at times, out of reasons, the car battery dies.
To look up the reasons why the car battery dies, here is a list of the issues which can
lead to this.
Reasons That Drain the Car Battery:
At times, you come across this problem that while you are driving, your car battery gets
discharged. At that time you just get frustrated and can’t figure out the reason behind
these issues but you must pay attention to the cause of such a problem to avoid it in
future times.
Mainly, eight reasons drain your car battery which needs to be focused upon. Let’s get
started with it:
Human Error:
At times, you come home from work tired and not thinking and leave the headlights on
and don't completely close the trunk or even forget about some internal lights
overnight. As a result, the car battery drains and in the morning your car will not start.
Many new cars alert you if you leave your lights on but may not have the alert for the
other components.
Parasitic Drain:
The parasitic drain is due to the components in your vehicle continuing to run after the
key is turned off. Some parasitic drain is normal. Your battery delivers enough energy to
keep things like your clock, radio presets, and security alarms operational all time.
However, if there is an electrical problem such as faulty wiring, poor installations, and
defective fuses, the parasitic drain can exceed what is normal and deplete the battery.
Faulty Charging:
If your charging system is not working properly, then your car battery can drain even
while you are driving. Many cars power their lights, radio, and other systems from the
alternator which can make the battery drain worse if there is a charging problem. The
alternator may have a loose belt or worn out that keeps it from working properly.
A defective Alternator:

A car alternator recharges the battery and powers certain electrical systems like lights,
radio, air conditioning, and automatic windows. If your alternator has a bad diode your
battery can drain.
A bad alternator diode can cause a circuit to charge even the engine is shut off and you
will end up in the morning with a car that will not start.
Extreme Temperature:
Extremely hot over a hundred degrees or cold less than ten degrees temperatures can
cause lead sulfate crystals to build up. If the car is left in such conditions for too long,
the sulfate build-up can damage the long term battery life and may also take a long time
for your battery to charge in these environments especially if you only drive short
distances.
Excessive Short Drives:
Your battery may wear out before its time if you take too many short drives. The battery
puts out the most power when starting the car, shutting off your vehicle before the
alternator has the chance to recharge could explain where the battery continues dying
or does not seem to last long.
Corroded or Loose Battery Cables:
The charging system cannot top off your battery while driving if the battery connections
have corroded. They should be checked for dirt and signs of corrosion and cleaned
using a cloth or a toothbrush.
Loose Battery cables make it difficult to start the engine too as they cannot transfer the
electrical current efficiently.
Old Battery:
If your battery is old or weak, it will not hold a full charge well. You should generally
replace your car battery every three to four years. If or poorly maintained your battery
may die regularly.
FAQs:
What happens if your battery dies while driving?
If your car battery dies while driving, the engine of the car gets stopped at the very
instance even it is running. There can be several reasons as mentioned above but the
main problem can be with the alternators.
How do you know if it's your battery or alternator?
If you are confused that whether the problem is with your battery or the alternator,
then you can get out of by just checking that if the engine is starting or not. If the engine

gets started but then dies after a short interval then this indicates that your alternator is
not charging the battery.
Can you jumpstart a car with a bad alternator?
At times your battery is not dead completely, so you can jumpstart a car because the
battery gets charged as well.
Conclusion:
To sum up the discussion, now finally comes the solution. What to do with the battery
that keeps dying? Having a battery that won't hold the charge is frustrating, of course,
and figuring out what is causing the problem can be tricky. Assuming that the cause of
the battery drain is not human error, you will need the assistance of a qualified
mechanic who can diagnose your car's electrical problems and determine if it is a dead
battery or something else in the electrical system.