Hartlepool firefighters spent more than three quarters of an hour tackling the incident after the vehicle, believed to be a BMW, burst into flames on the A179, close to its junction with the A19, at around 8.10am on Wednesday, May 19.
Flames and smoke from the car could be seen shooting into the sky from a distance as rush-hour traffic travelled to and from the town.
A Cleveland Fire Brigade spokeswoman later said: “We were called to an incident on A179 this morning at 8.11am, a car was on fire on the border of our area with Darlington & Durham Fire and Rescue Service.
"We sent two fire engines from Hartlepool Fire Station and left the scene at 8.59am. No one was injured.”
The spokeswoman added that the fire was believed to have been caused by a mechanical fault.