'98 Sebring batter light came on. Turned off car. Won't turn back on

This morning while driving to work my batter light came on. I parked the car. Turned it off. Tried to turn it back on and got nothing. When I turn the key, there is not click, no rrr rrr rrr, no hum. The windows, radio, and lights don’t work. I have to manually lock the power locks.



Some details about the car:

Starter is less than 3 years old

Fuel pump is less than 3 years old

Batter is a good one and is less than 3 years old



What do you think?

It doesn’t take long to drain a battery that’s no longer being charged. The battery light indicated no charging, so if you continued driving for a while the battery may be too weak to work anything.

Have you checked the battery cable connections? Maybe a cable came loose from the battery, which would explain the complete loss of electrical power.

Can you jump start it with another battery?

I suggest having both the battery and the alternator tested. Most parts stores will do this free.

“Batter is a good one and is less than 3 years old”

Hmmm…I don’t think that I would make pancakes with that batter.
;-))

Seriously, however, mcparadise has provided a very good explanation.
Most likely the alternator on this 12 year old car is no longer able to provide a sufficient charge for the battery, and as a result, that “less than 3 year old” battery is now dead.

But, if you are very lucky, it is possible that a bad connection at the battery or at the alternator is the problem. This requires checking by someone competent to go over the electrical system thoroughly. I suggest that you avoid all chain operations and have the car towed to an independent mechanic for evaluation.

It is possible that the battery can be resurrected with a slow charge, but don’t expect too much as it is possible that it is now beyond resurrection.