What It Means When Your Car Battery Starts Smoking

Picture this: You're driving along and you suddenly notice smoke coming from the front of your car. You pull over and pop the hood to find that the smoke is coming from your battery. Before you panic and jump to conclusions about what's wrong, it's important to understand what might actually be causing the problem. If your car battery starts smoking, it can be due to a number of different reasons, including an internal short circuit, or even a bad alternator, though there are ways to extend an alternator's lifespan.

Overheating can also cause a battery to smoke and the same is true of overcharging. While all of this sounds bad, and it is, your problem may just be a dead battery. Despite the reason, you shouldn't inhale the smoke from a battery as it can be dangerous, and if the battery isn't addressed immediately, it can cause a fire.

The problem is that you can't really repair a battery, so if it's damaged, it's damaged. While smoking doesn't always mean the battery is completely trashed, it's best to buy a new one either way. Spend the money, stay safe, and get back on the road.

A smoking car battery often happens without warning, but there are some things you can do in terms of preventative maintenance to ensure you remain safe. It begins with a visual inspection of the battery cables to check their connection and so you can spot any possible corrosion on the battery's terminals. Bad connections can be dangerous, so get your car to a mechanic as soon as possible.

You should also be aware of how old your car battery is, as it will not perform as well as it did when you first bought it. An older battery needs more attention, as it can be more susceptible to damage over time. If your battery is having issues due to its age, that's a sign, and the right move is to replace it sooner rather than later. Installing a battery that's not suited for your car can be a problem too, as it will try take on more work than it can handle and possibly overheat in the process.

Even if you've never had a problem with your battery, it's a good idea to keep a fire extinguisher in your car, preferably under your seat or mounted with a bracket behind the passenger seat, just in case you need it. While an ABC dry powder fire extinguisher is the safest one to use, it's important to do your homework first, as Lithium-ion extinguishers aren't suitable to use on electric car batteries.