Bad alternator in a 2012 Ford Fiesta

Asked by Franny4077 Oct 21, 2013 at 02:54 PM about the 2012 Ford Fiesta

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I was told today by a Ford dealership my alternator is bad in my 2012 Ford Fiesta.  I've had the car for 18 months.  How is this possible?

2 Answers
20

Elrusodan answered 11 years ago

Either a defective alternator, or the electrical system was overloaded. Did you upgrade your stereo? Got a couple amps 1000 watts each? Those can kill the alternator, but battery would die first, most likely. Large capacitors help preventing that, if that was the case.

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Guru97FK8 answered 7 years ago

It could be the alternator or the PCM. The Voltage regulating system is split between the Alternator and the PCM. Its called a 'Smart Charge System'. It also takes it signals for charging from the Intake Air Temp Sensor and the Ambient Temp Sensor and calculates its own assumed Battery Electrolyte Temperature. Its best to get the dealer to check for fault codes to pinpoint the problem

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