FAIL

[4.6toddy]

So last night i'm about half an hour from home and the battery (charging) warning light comes on. I continue to drive and it's on and off randomly....then on solid, then off for a while. Stopped, did my business and it fired up no problem to return home. The light stayed off until a few minutes from the house. No time to look, it's late.

This morning i get in, it fires up and the light comes back on. I live a mile from work so I head in. As i'm stopped in the drive-thru for morning coffee, all the other lights on the dash light up. emergency brake, traction control and I think ABS. So i'm thinking battery is dying, computer isn't reading as it should?!

i zip over to work and just as I pull into the parking lot a terrible THUD from the back, TRANS FAIL SAFE or whatever it says comes on the dash readout. Sit in the lot for a minute with it running, it starts to shake and die. Now it's dead, won't start

Before i start going too far am I reading the symptoms right?
charge light for a day....likely just a battery, alternator or possibly voltage regulator?

Is there even a replaceable voltage regulator?

Thanks for any help