My 2002 Buick Lesabre has about 160,000 miles on it I keep up with maintenance regular oil changes and what not. Today when I am driving to work and right as I get on the freeway my car starts lurching forward and slowing down repeatedly so I pull over turn the car off look under the hood everything looks normal to me. I wait a bit start the car up and the lights on my panel go from the dimmest they can be to blinding bright and I could not adjust the brightness at all. Anyway the car drove fine the rest of the way but the lights were bright as can be the whole way there. Anyone have any ideas what could be causing this? Bad battery?
You may want to get the running voltage checked. Typically it is 13.5V to 14.5V. Any higher and the voltage regulator may be bad. It is built into the alternator, so that may need replacing.
In the older days an oxygen sensor would cause that. These days there should be a code that will direct somebody toward a particular system that is causing the problem. If you have seen a warning light you may have a code to read.
I’m with @bustedknuckles! I think your alternator needs replacement. Over voltage is bad and can kill modern electronics. It can be checked easily with a volt meter or the parts store will check it for free for you.
Thanks for the info! I am having a guy look at it tomorrow.