Alternator Motorcraft or Duralast
Fords can be really picky about which alternator you use! Even if it’s a remanufactured Motorcraft, it’s worth it. Had a friend with an 11 Edge 3.5 that we put a aftermarket alternator in and it complained errors etc… for months till we finally swapped it out and it worked fine with the Ford part!
I just replaced mine with a motorcraft one from rock auto. Yeah it's pricier than reman or other brands but if it lasted 20 years and 190k, I figured that this would last just as long. Get what you pay for
I went through 3, iirc on my 2006 mustang. Wound up with a used motorcraft (OEM) that I bought off eBay.
I had to order a motorcraft alternator which hasn't given me any problems 6 months later.
I’ve had two D/L Alternators. Each has lasted 3 or 4 years.
I also noticed that the alternator looks like a remanufactured unit. I’ve been reading about how these PCMs really don’t like reman units that are not built perfectly to spec. It’s best practice to replace these with only motorcraft units.
Got a remanufactures duralast alternator. Worked for about a week and the died.
Reman alternator quality is in the toilet. Not uncommon to have to warranty an alternator once or twice.
I started having problems like my alternator was going bad again so I replaced it with a duralast alternator part number DL2618-6-11 because I had a lifetime warranty on it and it still didn't fix it so I was thinking it may be a wire shorting out was playing around with the wires that go to the alternator and the plug on the back that goes from the alternator to the PCM and it's started charging again ( I guess it finally connected the electricity) so I replaced the plug on the back of the alternator. It fixed it work for about a month then it happen again check charging system battery light on and battery going dead so I was done. I took it to the Ford place they wanted to replace the other side of the PCM to alternator connector which they did and the alternator so I got another AutoZone lifetime warranty alternator and when they did that they said everything is charging and running like it is supposed to be but your PCM is still throwing the battery light and check charging system because your alternator is charging at 14v and for the PCM to cut the light off it needs to be at 14.6 v. So they wanted to put another alternator on it because they said the alternator from autozone the voltage regulator wouldn't let it go to 14.6 volts. The car runs and drives and doesn't have any problems I just hate the light being on to be honest I have spent hours on the Internet trying to see if it's just these AutoZone alternators that aren't letting it get to the volts the PCM wants or not haven't found anything.
Duralast are shit alternator. See it time and time again people buy them and have more problems afterwards.
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Which alternator to choose — Motorcraft or Duralast?
If choosing alternator across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare alternator across these categories:
- PR Score.
- Overall ranking.
- Vote balance.
- Average rating.
- Number of reviews.
- Feature ratings.
- Car owners’ choice.
Which alternator are better — Duralast or Motorcraft?
In March 2026 on PartReview, alternator Motorcraft were overall better than Duralast.
- Motorcraft received a PR Score of 81 out of 100, and Duralast scored 43 points.
- Motorcraft ranked 7 in the overall ranking, and Duralast ranked 18.
- The average rating is higher for Motorcraft (4.2) than for Duralast (2.6).
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Alternator Motorcraft have better feature ratings than Duralast:
- Noise - owners believe, that this property for Motorcraft is better than Duralast.
- Warning light - drivers claim, that this property for Motorcraft is outperforms Duralast.
- Lights - reviews suggest, that this property for Motorcraft is preferred to Duralast.
Which alternator are more popular — Motorcraft or Duralast?
Alternator Motorcraft and Duralast were equally popular according to data in March 2026.
By vote balance, alternator Motorcraft surpassed Duralast:
- For Motorcraft, the ratio of positive (39) to negative (9) votes is 30 votes.
- For Duralast, the ratio of positive (74) to negative (98) votes is -24 votes.
By number of reviews, alternator Duralast surpassed Motorcraft:
- For alternator Motorcraft there are 15 reviews: 11 positive, 3 neutral, 1 negative.
- For alternator Duralast there are 54 reviews: 18 positive, 10 neutral, 26 negative.
Which alternator do car owners prefer — Motorcraft or Duralast?
In March 2026, according to PartReview, alternator Motorcraft led more car-specific ratings than Duralast:
Motorcraft are chosen by owners of cars such as: Ford Mustang, and others.
Alternator Duralast have not yet taken leading positions in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding a review and specifying your car.
Other comparisons of alternator
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of alternator Motorcraft with: Denso, Bosch, OEM Toyota, VALEO, OEM Honda, OEM Volkswagen, AC DELCO, OEM FORD, OEM Audi, OEM Nissan.
Also available: comparisons of alternator Duralast with: Denso, Bosch, OEM Toyota, VALEO, OEM Honda, OEM Volkswagen, AC DELCO, OEM FORD, OEM Audi, OEM Nissan.
You can also see who is better among other alternator manufacturers: Bosch or Denso, Denso or Duralast, OEM Toyota or Denso, Bosch or Duralast, Denso or VALEO.