Frightened shoppers and residents were evacuated from Purley High Street on Sunday - believing a car bomb had gone off.
However, the incident - where the back windscreen of a Citroen car shattered spontaneously - turned out to be the result of a mechanical fault.
A Croydon police spokesman said a number of officers were called to the scene in High Street at around 1.55pm following reports of the sound of an explosion from a parked car.
Nearby premises and Purley High Street were cordoned off and firefighters attended the scene.
The police spokesman said: "As a precaution, surrounding roads were closed and nearby premises were evacuated. After investigation, however, it transpired the noise had been caused by a mechanical failure of the vehicle's windscreen."
Police said it quickly became clear the incident was nothing more serious and the road reopened half an hour later.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article