Does the Citroen Xsara fail the MOT on seat belts and airbags more than it should?
The Citroen Xsara records 11.63 seat belts and airbags failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 2.51 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+9.12, 95% interval +9.00 to +9.23). It ranks 3 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 Citroen Xsara by registration
What exactly fails on seat belts and airbags?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Citroen Xsara is “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”, recorded 32,113 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 32,113 | 9.81 |
| An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction | 3,406 | 1.04 |
| Seat belt buckle missing, damaged or not functioning as intended | 870 | 0.27 |
| A seat belt webbing or flexible stalk significantly stretched or weakened | 392 | 0.12 |
| Seat belt not functioning as intended or of an incorrect type | 363 | 0.11 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 327,241 (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 Citroen Xsara gets a seat belts and airbags advisory, how often does it fail next time?
18.3% of Citroen Xsara MOTs with a seat belts and airbags advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 4,562 miles later (6,399 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 6,399 (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
Citroen Xsara 1998 · Citroen Xsara 1999 · Citroen Xsara 2000 · Citroen Xsara 2001 · Citroen Xsara 2002 · Citroen Xsara 2003 · Citroen Xsara 2004 · Citroen Xsara 2005 · Citroen Xsara 2006 · Citroen Xsara 2007 · Citroen Xsara 2008 · Citroen Xsara 2009 · Citroen Xsara 2010 · Citroen Xsara in Finland · Citroen Xsara in the Netherlands · Citroen Xsara by postcode area · Citroen Xsara body, chassis and structure failures · Citroen Xsara brakes failures · Citroen Xsara vehicle identification failures · Citroen Xsara lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Citroen Xsara noise, emissions and leaks failures · Citroen Xsara road wheels failures · Citroen Xsara steering failures · Citroen Xsara suspension failures · Citroen Xsara tyres failures · Citroen Xsara visibility failures