Does the Mercedes-Benz C-Class fail the MOT on seat belts and airbags more than it should?
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class records 0.88 seat belts and airbags failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 1.03 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) (−0.15, 95% interval −0.16 to −0.13). It ranks 348 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 Mercedes-Benz C-Class by registration
What exactly fails on seat belts and airbags?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Mercedes-Benz C-Class is “An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction”, recorded 11,241 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction | 11,241 | 0.54 |
| Seat belt buckle missing, damaged or not functioning as intended | 2,711 | 0.13 |
| Seat belt not functioning as intended or of an incorrect type | 1,409 | 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 | 1,000 | 0.05 |
| Seat belt retractor not functioning as intended | 750 | 0.04 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 2,072,470 (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 Mercedes-Benz C-Class gets a seat belts and airbags advisory, how often does it fail next time?
5.3% of Mercedes-Benz C-Class 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 4,788 miles later (3,823 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 3,823 (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
Mercedes-Benz C-Class 1998 · Mercedes-Benz C-Class 1999 · Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2000 · Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2001 · Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2002 · Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2003 · Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2004 · Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2005 · Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2006 · Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2007 · Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2008 · Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2009 · Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2010 · Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2011 · Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2012 · Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2013 · Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2014 · Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2015 · Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2016 · Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2017 · Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2018 · Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2019 · Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2020 · Mercedes-Benz C-Class in Finland · Mercedes-Benz C-Class in the Netherlands · Mercedes-Benz C-Class in Norway · Mercedes-Benz C-Class by postcode area · Mercedes-Benz C-Class body, chassis and structure failures · Mercedes-Benz C-Class brakes failures · Mercedes-Benz C-Class vehicle identification failures · Mercedes-Benz C-Class lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Mercedes-Benz C-Class noise, emissions and leaks failures · Mercedes-Benz C-Class road wheels failures · Mercedes-Benz C-Class steering failures · Mercedes-Benz C-Class suspension failures · Mercedes-Benz C-Class tyres failures · Mercedes-Benz C-Class visibility failures