Hi everyone ! I am having issues with a red battery light on. I took the car to auto zone to check the battery and the young man tells me it isn't the battery . I haven't had the funds to have a mechanic look at it and I've been driving it now for about a week and half and nothing so far.I drive about 60 to 70 miles a day to work. Does anyone have any idea what could be wrong ?

 

If your battery checked out OK on the load tester and it's still carrying a sufficient charge to get you started, then the battery light is most likely indicating an issue with your charging system.

In other words, your alternator may be failing, and they can fail in one of two common modes.

1. They stop producing a sufficient voltage, leading to an eventual dead battery as the vehicle drains the battery without it being recharged by the alternator.

2. The alternator is producing too much voltage, which can both do serious damage to the vehicle's electrical components, and eventually ruin the battery too.

Get your charging system checked A.S.A.P., and also have them "Pull the Codes" from the vehicle's memory using a code scanner. If any are found, post them up here in your reply.

Since you're still chugging along without ending up with a "No Start" situation, my thoughts are leaning towards Failure Mode 2 in your charging system, that's one to worry about since replacement Computer Modules in HHR's do not come cheaply...and you'd really have a bad day if an "over-voltage" situation cooked the Engine Control Module for example.

to the forum, wish it wasn't under such circumstances though.

 

Not that I have seen a previous issue like this before, and I am grasping at straws here, but disconnecting the NEGATIVE side of the battery for a few minutes MIGHT clear the condition (the electrical system gets pretty weird in modern day vehicles). If it was me I would give it a try - no guarantees though, but worth a try in my opinion.

 

This could also be attributed to a loose ground wire , either at the battery or in the trunk ground or under the hood ground, disconnect the negative cable at the battery, you will need a 10 mm wrench, then while that is disconnected check the under hood grounds on the rad cradle and at the transmission just down to the right of the oil filter housing, then put the battery cable back

 

What whopper & Oldblue are recommending is what we call a Lobotomy here, and they're both right, it can't hurt to try it.

I'd just take it and get the "Codes Pulled" first just in case, because once you disconnect the NEGATIVE battery cable, any stored OBD II trouble codes will be cleared.

And the lost codes might be of some value.

 

Agreed oh exhausted one ! And check you alt drive belt it could be shot and slipping!
Also what RPM is it idling at when the alt light is on, a low idle could point us in a completely different direction, like a dirty MAF or throttle body butterfly plate!