Myth: Shooting a Gas Tank Causes an Explosion
This is perhaps the most iconic Hollywood car myth. In action movies, a single bullet to the rear of a car sends it into a massive, orange fireball. “Mythbusters” put this to the test and found it’s nearly impossible. Bullets are not inherently incendiary; they are just slugs of metal. When they hit a gas tank, they usually just punch a hole in it, causing the gas to leak out onto the ground.
Even with various types of ammunition, the researchers couldn’t get the liquid gas to ignite. Gasoline needs a specific mixture of oxygen and a very hot spark to explode. Unless someone is using specialized tracer rounds—and even then, it’s a long shot—shooting a car won’t produce the cinematic explosion we see on the big screen.
