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Q: Electrical turning off.

asked by on July 18, 2016

While driving I will suddenly lose all electrical functions (radio turns off, power steering goes, ac shuts off.) Engine remains running. Seems to happen while using one of those specific items. For instance it will happen mid turn or when I apply the brakes. And this will all happen more frequently if I'm using a lot of accessories like ac and radio but it still does happen with everything off. Just not as much. Also happens if I'm idling and do something as simple as rolling up the windows. So I'm wondering, are these symptoms of a failing alternator?

My car has 170000 miles.
My car has a manual transmission.

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The symptoms you describe are most commonly caused by the ignition switch loosing contact to one or more contacts in the switch. I would try and wiggle the ignition key to see if the problem comes and goes. This would be a bad ignition switch that should be replaced. If you want to have this checked in person, a technician from YourMechanic can come to your home or office to diagnose your electrical issue to verify the fault before repair.

Mazda
electrical wiring
ignition system
2004
L4-2.3L
3
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