What to do when a car overheats in the desert heat

Driving around in desert climates can be a thrilling and equally challenging experience. A common problem can be your car overheating. Here are some things you can do to protect you, your family and your vehicle and get you safely to your destination.

If your car overheats and you cannot stop immediately turn off the air conditioning and gradually make your way to a safe level area. Turn off the engine and if there is steam coming from under the hood wait until it stops before opening as you could potential get burnt with coolant and steam.

Once the hood is open look for obvious signs of coolant leaks. If no leaks are found, check the engine drive belts are intact as on most vehicles these belts drive the water pump. On most modern vehicles the radiators have additional electric cooling fans. To check the operation, you would need to make sure the coolant level is topped up (do not open while the engine is still over heating). Then you can run the engine until it reaches normal operating temperature and the cooling fans cut in.