‘Do Not Leave Your Car Out in the Heat:’ Woman Says It's So Hot Her Grandmother's Buick's Tires Exploded. Is That Possible?

'Don’t leave ur car in the sun.'

Woman says it's so hot outside that her grandmother's Buick's tires exploded

Photo by: @princessblubbergyatt & J Z

Stacy Fernandez

By: Stacy Fernandez

Jun 26, 2025 at 5:00pm ET

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Having a car involves a fair share of weather-related worries.

Rain makes the roads slick, ice can send you skidding, and fog cuts down your visibility so that you can’t see more than a few feet in front of you at times.

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While we may know to slow down when it's wet, not to use cruise control in the rain, and to turn the headlights on in the fog, many may be unaware that even a hot sunny day can cause a serious, and dangerous, weather-related driving condition.

What Can Heat Do to Your Car?

In a viral slideshow with more than 180,000 views, content creator @princessblubbergyatt shared the shocking thing she says that happened to her grandma’s Buick.

“It’s so hot in Ohio that my grandma's tire literally exploded from the heat,” the text overlay on the TikTok reads.

On this day, there was an extreme heat watch in Ohio, with temperatures projected to reach up to 93 degrees. The real feel was in the triple digits.

“What da fawk,” @princessblubbergyatt adds.

From the photos, you can see that a lot of damage was done by the sudden explosion. Not only did the tire come apart, but the hood and the fender ripped apart and peeled away.

In the caption, @princessblubbergyatt warns that you should avoid leaving your car in direct sunlight. “Don’t leave ur car in the sun,” she writes.

Can Heat Make Tires Explode?

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When a tire gets too hot, the air inside it expands, increasing the tire pressure. The pressure of the air can tear through a tire’s surface and lead to an explosion, CarParts.com explains.

Heat is the most common reason tires explode. Other reasons include inflating your tire to the wrong PSI (pounds per square inch), particularly under inflating; driving recklessly; and having faulty tires.

Blowouts are still quite rare, however.

“From 1996 to 2002, tire blowouts only occurred in 6.5% of the cars that represented more than 80% of the vehicles involved in crashes,” CarParts.com reports.

While this is a rare occurrence, in 2017, there were 738 fatalities due to tire blowouts.

That’s why it’s important to make sure your tires are in good condition, properly inflated, and not to drive recklessly.

How Much Do Tires Cost?

One tire, depending on the type, can cost anywhere from $50 to $1,500.

Smaller tires generally cost less. For example, tires for 12-inch to 15-inch wheels will usually be in the $80 to $150 range, while those for 18-inch to 26-inch wheels range from $140 to $500, NerdWallet reports.

The labor will run you about $50 to $300 on average.

Nearly $2,000 for tires, if you’re paying on the high end for both parts and labor, may seem like a lot. But a large bill for routine car maintenance is preferable to getting in an accident.

‘It Had to be Over-Inflated’

People who commented on @princessblubbergyatt’s post weren’t convinced that heat was the only reason her grandmother’s tire exploded.

“That thing had to be overinflated lol. Remember to go off the PSI on the door of the car not the tire,” a top comment reads.

“(Grandma talks) I don’t understand why it went flat I blew it up to 100%,” another person joked.

What do you think?

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Comments

“Yeah tires don’t just explode bc of heat, it had to be over-inflated,” a third speculated.

Motor1 reached out to @princessblubbergyatt for comment via TikTok direct message and comment. We’ll be sure to update this if she responds.