Does the Ford Cortina fail the MOT on seat belts and airbags more than it should?
The Ford Cortina records 1.39 seat belts and airbags failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 3.24 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−1.85, 95% interval −2.31 to −1.39). It ranks 593 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 Ford Cortina by registration
What exactly fails on seat belts and airbags?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Ford Cortina 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 58 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 | 58 | 1.00 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 5,818 (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
Other pages for this model
Ford Cortina by postcode area · Ford Cortina body, chassis and structure failures · Ford Cortina brakes failures · Ford Cortina lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Ford Cortina noise, emissions and leaks failures · Ford Cortina steering failures · Ford Cortina suspension failures · Ford Cortina tyres failures · Ford Cortina visibility failures