Following rear end accident damage Battery goes flat.

remove negative cable from battery, hook up a test light to the negative terminal. opposite end to negative on battery. start pulling fuses, when the light on tester goes out. thats the bad curcuit that is draining battery. wait about 3 minutes before pulling fuses. Good-Day!

check your trunk lock mechanism. it might not be locking properly and not seating right due to rear damage and trunk lights are on and that can drain the battery overnight. have it adjusted.

well its possible a fuel shutoff could be in the trunk i never new they had cutoff switches on them

THERE IS A FUEL PUMP DISENGAGE IN THE FRONT END THAT WILL DISABLE THE FUEL PUMP IN FRONT END ACCIDENTS, THIS PREVENTS THE FLOW OF GASOLINE , CHECK YOUR OWNERS MANUAL TO FIND THE LOCATION, ALSO COULD BE A BUTTON IN THE REAR QUARTER PANELS INSIDE THE CAB

ABOVE "Answers??" are only 1/2 correct ! Reason is:#1 doesn't help if you have 89-93 Dakota with ABS on REAR 2 wheels only. #2 is wrong BECAUSE ANY loss of brake fluid to rear leveling block sensor(located within frame above rear axle) will trigger cpu to keep abs light on=NOT electrical.#3 is worthless because it does not address brake fluid problem/air in system only(probably how to clear/read code by turning ignition switch). Answer=:Turn ignition key to just before start 3 times and wait a couple of sec for abs light to blink. Count # of blinks between pause and write down CODE ie 4 blinks=#4 pause 7 blinks=#7 the example code= 47. Look up code and read problem;CLEAR code by disconnect battery for 5 min to let cpu erase code. If spongy pedal or need fluid; bleed at all wheels PLUS at rear leveling block contained in frame(it has a small bleeder valve too and hard to get to!). If you have later models from 1995? with new system III you will need code reader/tester. P.S. If you have a parasitic electrical leak(battery goes down over 1-3 days) check fillament(sic) on rear bulbs. One could be broken and lay against other. Bulb will work most of time BUT WILL BE PARTIAL SHORT-therefore draining battery! Good luck-Rick

have a load test done on the battery as there is no guaranteed life for batteries
have the charge system check ed for correct charge operation

Normally what you do is to take off one battery terminal cable, and them put a test light across the gap between the cable end and battery post it was removed from.
Then you pull fuses and relays one at a time until the light goes out.
It could also be the alternator itself, so try disconnecting that.
A major short within the fuse box is also possible.
Accident damage areas are places to look for damaged insulation.
Do not start the vehicle, because a heavy short like that will quickly destroy the alternator.

If the battery is continually going flat, first test that the alternator is charging at least 13.5 volts at the battery. If that is ok check the current drain when the car is turned off. It should be less than .050Amp (50 milliamps) If all that is ok get the battery tested. If its more than 3 years old its likely to have a weak cell and will need replacing.

battery needs a deep charge from a battery charger.if you drain battery to low the alternator cannot supply enough charge to bring battery up to full charge.

if you can charge the battery and drive it for a while then sounds like the altenator has failed and is not re-charging the battery, good way to test is to charge the battery, start the car and turn the light on, if everything is dimm or the motor dies there is little to no charge voltage, and will require altenator work