Safety systems and methods to prevent or mitigate thermal stress conditions in a vehicle. The systems include sensors to detect conditions in and around a vehicle, particularly the temperature inside the vehicle and the condition of occupants. System controllers receive the sensor information, determine the thermal stress status of occupants, and activate appropriate actuators configured to reduce thermal stress in the vehicle. The methods include providing the system, detecting a vehicle occupant surface temperature, using the detected temperature to determine a body core temperature, and activating an actuator if the occupant body core temperature is determined to be out of a preset range.