Does the Mazda MX-5 fail the MOT on seat belts and airbags more than it should?
The Mazda MX-5 records 3.60 seat belts and airbags failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 2.19 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+1.41, 95% interval +1.35 to +1.46). It ranks 82 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 Mazda MX-5 by registration
What exactly fails on seat belts and airbags?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Mazda MX-5 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 15,859 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 | 15,859 | 3.18 |
| An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction | 933 | 0.19 |
| An airbag fitted as original equipment obviously missing | 301 | 0.06 |
| Seat belt retractor not functioning as intended | 282 | 0.06 |
| Seat belt buckle missing, damaged or not functioning as intended | 167 | 0.03 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 499,285 (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 Mazda MX-5 gets a seat belts and airbags advisory, how often does it fail next time?
12.0% of Mazda MX-5 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 1,878 miles later (5,564 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 5,564 (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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