Thanks in advance for insight--I have a 2008 Accent with 102k miles on it. In the last few weeks I've had increasing issues with the car locks, and thought maybe I need to replace the fob because buttons are sticking. This past week, I lost power trying to get on the highway, but didn't have overt signs of alternator issue, etc. and it lasted just a few seconds each time. Then this evening, the neighbor comes yelling because my car lights are going on and off. Get to the car and the lights are on, the car unlocked itself, and when I opened the car door, all the lights on the dash, headlights, tail lights are flashing on and off. Battery is dead. We jump it; I take it to autozone--they tell me the battery is fine, it's the voltage regulator. I need to replace the alternator. I searched and was only able to find one other person reporting this issue, and am concerned it's more than just the alternator--how on earth does a voltage regulator in a car with no key in the ignition do this?? I'm disabled, and am not terribly repair-experienced so I need help making sure I understand what's happening before I attempt to replace a thing with a belt by myself. Thanks in advance for any help.
Addendum: I just went to make sure my walking aids were at ready-access in case the car dies while I'm out; hit the unlock button on the fob again and the hazards come on briefly. Why is it acting so weird???

 

If it is of any help, electronics are great , when they work !
I happen to agree with your thoughts regarding the voltage regulator causing that problem. I seriously doubt it.
The newer vehicles have electronic modules that relay info from the driver to the selected part. For example; when you want to open or close a power window, it used to be you closed the switch and it provided power to the window motor. Those days are gone! Now when you depress the switch the message goes to a serving module that relays the message to the window motor. The system is often referred to as multiplexing where many messages go along two wires to the directed module , one of several on the same line, (done to save wiring),and that module reacts and directs the function.
Now comes the good part, electronics have a way of going haywire and sometimes when they do crazy things happen. Lights can flash, radios come on when never touched, and a new twist appears because when the key is turned off those modules are supposed to go to sleep mode. Well some don't, and they are either activated by some signal or just come on by themselves and can cause the battery to get drained and now the vehicle won't turn over to start. See you are smarter than you thought !!

 

Supposedly they are making cars smarter and better with all this electronic stuff
Unfortunately, when these electronics breaks down, who pays to fix them
I'm sure some electronics is needed .. like a radio
But who needs a body control module to tell the window to open when a simple switch can do the same for a lot less money???

 

It boils down to who is going to pay, the manufacturer or the vehicle owner ?
When they can save work and material on the assembly line, and there are people that get paid well to come up with these "cost saving ideas" ,guess who loses, the customer!!
Also, we want all sorts of conveniences and we are willing to pay for them,UNTIL they malfunction. So there you have it.