Posted on 6/27/2025
When most drivers think of vehicle emergencies, they don’t usually imagine their car catching fire. Still, thousands of vehicle fires occur every year across the U.S., and while many are linked to crashes, a surprising number start under normal driving or even while parked. The good news is that the vast majority of these fires are preventable. With a little awareness and regular maintenance, you can keep your vehicle and yourself out of harm’s way. What Makes a Car Fire Start in the First Place There’s no single cause behind every vehicle fire, but they all come down to the same basic formula: heat, fuel, and ignition. The heat comes from the engine, the fuel can be anything from leaking oil to flammable materials in the cabin, and the ignition could be a spark from a frayed wire or the surface of a red-hot manifold. Many of these conditions exist in every vehicle—what separates a safe car from a dangerous one is how well it’s maintaine ... read more