its a 2001 Honda civic lx. i threw a multimeter on it this morning and it read 12 volts. so i went to start it and it started up and i was able to drive it the rest of the way home. i tested it again while it was running and the battery still said 12 volts. so im guessing its the alternator but this will be the 3rd alternator in 2 years. could there be a underlying issue to them failing

"Car dies while im driving help!!?"

I concur with "hornchurchmate" here.

I think you had a bad battery (OEM equipment, depending on the make / model can be the cheapest available), and that made sense.

As it was failing, the fuel pump may have gone over-current, and smoked to some extent. Your symptoms sound like "vapor lock" in the old carburetor days, which is a weak fuel pump or clogged fuel filter these days.

So it was somewhat related....

are we sure its electrics ? lack of fuel supply can cause this as can vacuum leak. having a scan run for fault codes can assist. has car been serviced recently? have we run out of fuel lately? even faulty fuel breathing issues can cause cutting out. if we need car..its best to have garage sort it.

Buy a multi-meter and check charging voltage - not sure why your volt or engine light hasn't come on but check the voltage and see if it is charging.

make and model of the car.

switch the fuel pump relay and see if it works better. If so then replace the bad one.

Edit: Sounds like an electrical issue that cuts off all power. That's why look at relays. See if one gets really hot.

When was the last time the fuel filter was changed?

My wife got stranded at the gas station yesterday because the car would not restart so her friend came and jumped the car which worked good enough to get her home. I have owned the car for 3 years now and have not replaced the battery so this morning I went and purchased a new battery and installed it, right after the install the car started up like new. Wife drove it all day around town and absolutely no problems. Went to go to work tonight and I got 3/4 of the way there and the car just shuts off while I'm driving no slow dimming of the lights or anything. So I figured the alternator was dead. This morning I went to leave and I tried starting it again and it fired right up. Then just to die the same way about 3/4 of the way home. Both times it died right after I put the clutch in to stop at a stop sign. If anyone has any ideas please help because this is our only car and I need to get it fixed quickly