Car battery blew up exploded

My friends car battery blew up the other night. After the ignition was turned off it exploded, the cap that covers 3 of the cell holes blew off the battery. I had it towed to the dealership, the next morning when they neutralized the engine compartment twice (atleast that’s what they said). They replaced the battery and check the charge it was getting and everything is fine. Since this battery was not used to jump started another vehicle I am presuming that it was a faulty battery. Am I correct?



The acid did damaged the paint in the engine compartment and under the hood. Put a small ding in the hood. But the dealership is going to paint it for free and give them a free rental while it’s in the shop.



So the battery is replaced, they are going to paint the damaged area. Is there anything else that could go wrong because of the acid?



This is a 205 Tribute, it runs good and its still in great condition.

Sorry, it’s a 2005 Tribute not a 205 Tribute…

Yes, a defective battery CAN explode although this is very rare. The inter-cell connections inside the battery are welded. There must have been a defective weld, a loose connection, which caused a spark. The gas that collects inside a battery is a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen, a normal result of charging. If there is an internal spark, this gas mixture will explode…

The concern would be corrosion in electrical connections caused by acid seeping into the plugs. Low voltage computer sensor connections would be most vulnerable. So long as all the electrical connections that got splashed with acid are waterproof, it won’t be a problem.

This would be a rare one time event. I would have the charging system checked when you get it back. Most auto part stores will do the check for free. You want to make sure it is not overcharging the battery. Other than that, I would not worry about a repeat.

I would like to thank everyone that has posted a reply to my question. The dealer did check the charging system and they said everything is charging okay.

If the dealer wasn’t under some legal obligation to repair your car, this act by the dealer (a free repaint, etc.) has to be put into the “NICE BOX”.

A battery can explode at any time. It is rare but there doesn’t have to be an obvious reason. Thers isn’t any reason to believe that it will happen again. You may not run into any future problems.

Yea I agree they get put into the nice box, because after speaking to the body shop manager they are going to pull the bumper off and the grill to ensure everything is painted properly.

I am guessing that they are doing this because the car is under warranty and also this is great customer service.

Yes it is very good customer service. I have two dealers who have provided this kind of service, but frankly most do not. I suggest sticking with dealers who provide this kind of service even if they do cost a little more. Normally I recommend finding an independent mechanic since they will almost always cost less, but since you have a reason to believe the dealer is honest, that would be worth the additional cost to me.