Does the Ford Fusion fail the MOT on seat belts and airbags more than it should?
The Ford Fusion records 0.63 seat belts and airbags failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 2.20 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−1.57, 95% interval −1.62 to −1.53). It ranks 575 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 Fusion by registration
What exactly fails on seat belts and airbags?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Ford Fusion is “Seat belt not functioning as intended or of an incorrect type”, recorded 717 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Seat belt not functioning as intended or of an incorrect type | 717 | 0.18 |
| An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction | 512 | 0.13 |
| Seat belt buckle missing, damaged or not functioning as intended | 340 | 0.09 |
| Seat belt retractor not functioning as intended | 276 | 0.07 |
| 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 | 225 | 0.06 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 399,710 (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 Ford Fusion gets a seat belts and airbags advisory, how often does it fail next time?
3.3% of Ford Fusion 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 4,338 miles later (1,859 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,859 (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
Ford Fusion 2002 · Ford Fusion 2003 · Ford Fusion 2004 · Ford Fusion 2005 · Ford Fusion 2006 · Ford Fusion 2007 · Ford Fusion 2008 · Ford Fusion 2009 · Ford Fusion 2010 · Ford Fusion 2011 · Ford Fusion 2012 · Ford Fusion in Finland · Ford Fusion in the Netherlands · Ford Fusion by postcode area · Ford Fusion body, chassis and structure failures · Ford Fusion brakes failures · Ford Fusion vehicle identification failures · Ford Fusion lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Ford Fusion noise, emissions and leaks failures · Ford Fusion road wheels failures · Ford Fusion steering failures · Ford Fusion suspension failures · Ford Fusion tyres failures · Ford Fusion visibility failures