Can a Hot Vehicle Seriously Burn Your Skin?

Anyone who has left their car in the sun knows it can get hot, but can it get dangerously hot? That is…hot enough to burn you? To answer that question, ask yourself another one: Would I touch a surface hot enough to fry an egg? If you can answer yes to this question, you’ve got an unusually high pain tolerance. Most people would answer no.

In the part of California where I live, temperatures are more moderate than in the rest of the state, or the Southwest as a whole, but even I know not to grip the steering wheel too tightly or touch the dashboard when the car has been sitting in the sun. According to attorney Kasey Klenda, you can definitely get burned, and he has the experience with injury claims to back up his warning.

This post will help you identify the parts of a car that are most dangerous to touch after it has been sitting in the hot sun.

Can You Get Burned By the Outside of a Hot Car?

To start with, it depends on where you live, as insurance specialist Melanie Musson explains: “If you live in the Northern states, your car may get hot, but you’ve probably never gotten burned. But if you live in the Southwest, where it’s sunnier and hotter, the chances of burning yourself go much higher.”

The color of your car matters. W&W Auto Detailing conducted a temperature test on various vehicles on a 120-degree day and found that the surface temperature on a black car was over 200 degrees, while on a white car it was only 140 degrees. According to OSHA guidelines, 140 degrees is hot enough to require burn protection, so both cars could burn you, but the black car would do it faster.

Can Leather Car Seats Get Hot Enough to Burn You?

Yes, says Klenda. “Seating surfaces of leather and vinyl can actually get hot enough to result in skin irritation or a first-degree burn with direct contact.” Again, a color rule applies: Dark colored seats get hotter than light colored ones and are less likely to merely irritate and more likely to produce a first-degree burn.

Can a Car Steering Wheel Burn You?

When I get into my Subaru on a hot day with the sun beating through the windshield, the steering wheel is almost impossible to touch. I try to touch it as little as possible until the A/C cools down the cabin or I drive into the shade. Could it burn me if I held on?

My instincts say yes, and Klenda and Musson agree, sort of. “Your steering wheel could burn you,” says Musson, but she then adds a qualifier: “Especially if it’s dark and absorbs the sunlight.” My steering wheel has a light colored covering, so it may be safe, but I’m not in a hurry to find out.

Can a Car Seat Buckle Burn You?

The seat belt buckle is the part of your car’s interior that’s most likely to burn you on a hot day. It’s one of the worst causes of burns from a hot car, says Musson, and Klenda adds that they can burn skin on contact. You should always wait for the cabin to cool down before you buckle up.

How to Avoid Getting Burned by Your Car

“Prevention is better for avoiding injuries,’ says Klenda. Here are some preventative techniques to keep you safe, and unburned, in your car:

Park in the shade whenever possible;

Put up a windshield sunscreen when you leave your car in the sun;

Cover the seats with a light-colored towel in hot weather;

Touch surfaces with the back of your hand before grabbing onto them;

Leave the doors open for a minute before you get into the car;

Keep the windows cracked to create an airflow.

About the Experts

Kasey Klenda is an Attorney-at-Law and Partner at Shull & Klenda. He regularly handles motor vehicle, serious injury, product liability, and child safety-related matters.

Melanie Musson is an insurance and finance expert associated with Clearsurance. She specializes in the auto industry, real estate, home security, consumer analysis, investing, and finance.

Sources

AB Tech: OSHA Burn Protection; (2026)

YouTube: W&W Auto Detailing: How Hot is your Car on a 120 Degree Day? Temperature Readings Inside and Out during Summer; (2018)

RELATED:

Do You Know What That Little Button on Your Seat Belt Is For?

What Those Lines on Your Backup Camera Really Tell You

Here’s What The Small Panel On Your Car’s Front Bumper Is For

The post Can a Hot Vehicle Seriously Burn Your Skin? appeared first on Family Handyman.