So I have a weird problem with my 2001 escape. Over the past few months, I will go to start it and its completely dead. Nothing. Then I check to see what I left on, find nothing, and try it again and and starts and runs just fine. I have also had it die on me while pulling into a parking lot once.
Anyway, this morning my daughter goes to start it and its dead. I tell her to try again, she does and it starts. She turns the headlights on and it dies. I hooked up jumper cables and she tries to start it and it just clicks. I let it charge for a few mins, still just clicks.

The battery terminals look ok to me. The battery is fairly new. Its cold here but its in my garage and with it acting up in this same way recently, it makes me think there is a loose wire somewhere? Or could it be alternator or starter? How do I tell?

 

Probably a bad battery cable or connection. Maybe the battery.

You'd have to do voltage drop testing (google it) to pinpoint the fault.