Does the Mercedes-Benz SL fail the MOT on seat belts and airbags more than it should?
The Mercedes-Benz SL records 0.70 seat belts and airbags failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 2.48 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−1.78, 95% interval −1.87 to −1.68). It ranks 589 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 SL by registration
What exactly fails on seat belts and airbags?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Mercedes-Benz SL is “An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction”, recorded 639 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction | 639 | 0.58 |
| 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 | 44 | 0.04 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 110,850 (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
Mercedes-Benz SL 1998 · Mercedes-Benz SL 1999 · Mercedes-Benz SL 2000 · Mercedes-Benz SL 2001 · Mercedes-Benz SL 2002 · Mercedes-Benz SL 2003 · Mercedes-Benz SL 2004 · Mercedes-Benz SL 2005 · Mercedes-Benz SL 2006 · Mercedes-Benz SL 2007 · Mercedes-Benz SL 2008 · Mercedes-Benz SL 2009 · Mercedes-Benz SL 2010 · Mercedes-Benz SL 2011 · Mercedes-Benz SL 2012 · Mercedes-Benz SL 2013 · Mercedes-Benz SL 2014 · Mercedes-Benz SL 2015 · Mercedes-Benz SL 2016 · Mercedes-Benz SL 2017 · Mercedes-Benz SL 2018 · Mercedes-Benz SL 2019 · Mercedes-Benz SL 2020 · Mercedes-Benz SL in the Netherlands · Mercedes-Benz SL by postcode area · Mercedes-Benz SL body, chassis and structure failures · Mercedes-Benz SL brakes failures · Mercedes-Benz SL vehicle identification failures · Mercedes-Benz SL lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Mercedes-Benz SL noise, emissions and leaks failures · Mercedes-Benz SL road wheels failures · Mercedes-Benz SL steering failures · Mercedes-Benz SL suspension failures · Mercedes-Benz SL tyres failures · Mercedes-Benz SL visibility failures