DNA Verified: Can filling car fuel tank to full in summers cause explosion? Truth behind viral Indian Oil notice

As the summer heat has arrived in many parts of India, the viral claim regarding putting fuel in your car has surfaced once again. According to this viral claim, it can be deadly to fill the fuel tank in your car to the full during the summer season.

A notice has been going viral on social media, allegedly put out by company Indian Oil in the public interest, claiming that filling your car fuel tank to the full can cause a lethal explosion during the summer time. Hence, it must only be filled slightly less than the complete capacity.

The viral Indian Oil notice also claimed that in the month of April, five explosions have been recorded due to the filling of car fuel tanks to the max. The notice also advises all car owners to open their fuel tanks once in a while to let the air in.

Thank youriceHike #PetrolDieselPrice pic.twitter.com/dQbvl8N5UP

— Urmila Matondkar (@UrmilaMatondkar) April 8, 2022

The viral notice says, “INDIAN OIL WARNS: The temperature is set to rise in the coming days, so do not fill petrol in your vehicle to the maximum limit. This can cause an explosion in the fuel tank. Please fill half the tank of fuel in your vehicle and keep room for air. This week five explosions have been caused due to filling of maximum petrol. Please open the petrol tank once a day and let the gas build up inside come out. Note: Send this message to your family members and everyone else, so that people can avoid this accident. Thank you”

Fact Check: Can filling fuel tank to the max in summers cause explosion?

The answer to this question is no, there will be no explosion in your car if you fill your petrol tank to the max in the summer season. In fact, Indian Oil recently also put out a notice through its official social media handle, confirming the same.

Important announcement from #IndianOil. It is perfectly safe to fill fuel in vehicles up to the limit(max) as specified by the manufacturer irrespective of winter or summer. pic.twitter.com/IVKRNbWx5f

— Indian Oil Corp Ltd (@IndianOilcl) April 19, 2023

Debunking the viral Twitter notice, the verified account of Indian Oil said, “Important announcement from #IndianOil. It is perfectly safe to fill fuel in vehicles up to the limit(max) as specified by the manufacturer irrespective of winter or summer.”

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