What the hell just happened to my car

I have a cheap (and awesome) mechanic, and I bought my own parts at an auto parts store. It came to about $100 in parts and $100 in labor.

is this recall period still open. please let me know.

If it does show up on google:

My fix:
Ebay alternator (60 amp, same as OEM) - $70 (be sure you know the both the amperage and the mount design)
Backyard mechanic - $40 It took about 15 minutes to crawl under, reach wrenches up, extract old, raise new into place.