8 Reasons Car Fires Occur

Car fires. They’re the stuff of movies; the majority of us never think they’ll happen in real life, right? After all, most of us believe that a car fire can only start under truly unusual circumstances, like a truly horrific accident. The truth is, car fires are a lot more normal than you might think, accounting for about 20% of all reported fires, and the causes behind them will shock you.

Causes of Car Fires

In most cases, there isn’t just one main cause of a car fire. Generally, it’s a combination of a number of problems, whether they be environmental, human, or mechanical. Let’s take a look at a few problems that might make conditions ripe to set those sequences of events into motion.

• Design Flaws- Design flaws by themselves aren’t going to cause fires, but when combined with other conditions, an incident is likely to occur. Fortunately, the majority of manufacturers catch these issues before they become widespread. Still, it is important to pay attention to any design flaws the manufacturer of your vehicle has announced and do whatever you can possibly do to make the situation better, whether that means returning the vehicle so it can be fixed or replacing car parts yourself.

• Poor Maintenance- Forgetting to change the oil in your Renault once isn’t the end of the world, but if you’re constantly failing to keep up with the maintenance of your Renault parts, you could be putting yourself at risk for a fire. How? There are many car parts, that when poorly cared for can spark a fire, such as frayed wiring, broken gaskets, and leaking fuel tanks. Each of these car parts and problems can be prevented with a little maintenance.

• Car Accidents- The majority of vehicles these days have crumple zones that are specifically designed to absorb the majority of the impact that can occur during an accident. However, fires can still occur if the wrong car parts are hit in the impact, like the fuel tank, the battery, or even the engine. That’s why it’s so important to exit a damaged car as quickly as possible after an accident, so you aren’t trapped inside if a fire should occur.

• Arson- No, it’s not just for those seeking revenge on your favourite Tuesday night drama. Arson is real, and it’s a criminal act that many car owners have to deal with on a daily basis. People set fires to cars to cover up thefts, cover up crimes, as an act of vandalism, and even for insurance fraud.

• Hybrid and Electric Batteries- For years, EVs and hybrid cars have been plagued with problems relating to their batteries. Some have had coolant leaks that interacted with batteries to start fires. Others, like the most recent Telsa Model S, had batteries that were damaged by flying debris and spontaneously ignited. While not every EV battery is going to catch fire, they are potential risks that should be considered.

• Overheating Catalytic Converter- The exhaust system is one of the hottest car parts on your vehicle, and the catalytic converter’s job is to burn off the pollutants in that exhaust system. Because of that, the catalytic converter is always in real danger of overheating, which can only destroy the car part itself, but surrounding car parts as well. In addition to causing damage, when the catalytic convert becomes too hot it can ignite the carpeting in the car and the cabin insulation to start a fire.

Car Fires and Car Parts

While car fires are often caused by a number of different reasons, combined together, it’s important to understand the items that can start those sequences into motion. When it comes to your Renault, make sure you’re taking care to perform preventative maintenance on Renault parts, paying attention to announcements from the manufacturer, and doing everything you possibly can to ensure a fire doesn’t happen.