A woman escaped serious injury when her car smashed into a post at Lancing Manor roundabout on the A27.
Firefighters arrived after receiving a call that the car was on fire.
But the fire crew discovered the smoke was coming from the vehicle's airbag.
It had been set off by the impact of the crash.
After another Sussex crash, a vicar is calling for safety measures after a car rammed the wall of his vicarage for the second time in a year.
No one was badly hurt in the accident in St George's Road, Kemp Town, Brighton, when two vehicles collided but one of the cars hit the wall, which had only just been rebuilt after the last crash.
The road was blocked for a short time and Father Andrew Manson-Brailsford, vicar of St George's Church, who was inside the vicarage, was relieved his wall was not badly damaged this time.
He intends to call for safety measures to cut down on the increasing number of accidents in the area.
He said: "The wall was only re-built weeks ago after it was knocked down in June last year. Thankfully no one has been hurt but it could have been more serious."
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