My truck just died while driving?

So I’m driving and my trucks stereo starts flashing on and off, then all the lights get dim and the gauges jump around a bit, I start losing power in the pedal, so I start pulling over, all the “oh fuck” lights turn on the dash.

I turn my truck off, and try to turn back and no starter clicking. Just dead.... wtf just happened

 

Sounds like the alternator died and you were running off the battery until the battery just gave up the ghost.

Hopefully that's all you've let rhe Magi smoke out of.

Check your serpentine belt as well, it's possible the alternator is fine, but the belt broke and you just flattened your battery.

Man I wish these trucks had battery and oil pressure gauges like the Tundys.

 

Still should have seen the big red battery warning light from no charge on the alternator. If your SERP is gone, check for remnants behind all pulleys before just slapping on another one. It will destroy hoses and crank seals, ask me how I know. Best of luck.

 

Just checked and my belts (that I can see) and in tact. Like I said all the lights came on, including the battery light. So this sounds like alternator

 

Hopefully, I would try to get power to it and check codes before just dumping a new alternator or at least pull the alternator and have it checked before purchasing another. Depending on how old the battery is and what you had powered at the time would affect how long your truck would last without charge. Night time with headlights, blower motors, stereo, any extra lights and an aged battery may just give all about at once. However, check alt-s fuses as well in the system, and ensure no codes.

 

Definitely gunna figure it out tmro. Praying it’s just an old battery.

 

I've heard of this happening from a short in the wiring of a sensor on the exhaust of the pre-tacoma pickups. Hope you find the problem without too much fuss.

 

Did you notice if the battery light was on before it died? I feel like if your alternator died it would have thrown the battery light up before the truck had no juice left but I might be wrong.

 

If you didnt get a charging system light prior to the chaos, the battery may have just dropped a cell. Happened to me a while back. Drove into town, parked for a bit, then had no juice to start back up. No lights or warnings telling me it wasnt charging.

A kind stranger jumped me, drove ~40mins back home, turned it off, and again had no juice when I tried starting it back up. Jumped again to drive to the dealership ~1 hour away, and about halfway there I lost all power a few brief times, with dash lights going crazy as if I was twisting the key back and forth

Dealership said the battery was roasted and held zero charge, but luckily the charging system was fine. Seems like it dropped a cell and was shorting out internally.

 

Hmmmm 2012 Tacoma dying while mid-drive.... sounds familiar

 

What u mean

 

I'm curious too...following now to see what @Tcomaboy means.

 

Had an alternator die in a previous truck and it did what you just described.

 

Shiiiiiit well if that’s it, it sucks, but it could be worse. I bought a $10,000 Legacy GT spec B and the transmission shit itself 50miles from where I had just bought it. Took the dealer 3 tries to fix it smfh

 

Most likely a bad battery,same exact thing happened in my daughters corolla.

 

It seems like every week there is a thread of a 2012 dying while driving. If you do a search for “limp mode” some of the reasons have been running out of fuel, blown fuse, etc. seems like it’s always a 2012.

 

That’s weird af and pretty concerning

 

Any update?

 

The fact that it died while driving and not just suddenly failed to start tells me it’s the alternator.
Had the same thing happen a few years back, almost exactly the same scenario the OP described. He probably just overlooked the red battery dash light come on.

 

shit I drive a 2012 and this has not happened to me and hopefully it won't.