Does the Audi A3 fail the MOT on seat belts and airbags more than it should?
The Audi A3 records 0.99 seat belts and airbags failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 1.01 expected for a car of the same age mix: about as expected for its class and age (the difference is within its interval or under 0.5 items per 100 tests) (−0.02, 95% interval −0.04 to −0.01). It ranks 289 of 627 models on seat belts and airbags (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on seat belts and airbags · check a Audi A3 by registration
What exactly fails on seat belts and airbags?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Audi A3 is “An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction”, recorded 15,125 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction | 15,125 | 0.62 |
| Seat belt buckle missing, damaged or not functioning as intended | 3,342 | 0.14 |
| Seat belt not functioning as intended or of an incorrect type | 2,018 | 0.08 |
| The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any seat belt anchorage (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired | 1,130 | 0.05 |
| Seat belt retractor not functioning as intended | 639 | 0.03 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 2,442,554 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a Audi A3 gets a seat belts and airbags advisory, how often does it fail next time?
4.0% of Audi A3 MOTs with a seat belts and airbags advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 6,530 miles later (7,339 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 7,339 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
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