I have a 2011 Lexus es350 with around 65,000mi and I was driving it normally with no warnings or anything. All of a sudden everything started to turn off and on (the gauge cluster, climate controls, screen) and the battery light, check engine light and vsc light came on. I was able to pull into a parking lot and as I was pulling in, the power steering went out, after that I turned the car off and it would not restart. I have a radar detector that has a voltmeter built into it(not sure if it is accurate or not) but when I read the voltage with the ignition on it read 6 volts. I took the battery out and got it tested at an auto zone and the battery was so dead it wouldn’t even test. I am getting rid of the car soon so I bought a cheap battery from auto zone and put it in the car. It started and ran fine but the radar detector was only reading around 11.5-12 volts with the engine on which isn’t in the 13.7-14.7. Does this mean my alternator is bad and I should replace that too?
Does this mean my alternator is bad and I should replace that too?
possibly. You can verify by putting a meter directly on it.
Other possibilities are a blown fusible link, rotten ground strap, or poor connections at the terminals.
Always get a load test when you have electrical problems. It's free. You may have wasted money on the battery.
