Does the Skoda Fabia fail the MOT on seat belts and airbags more than it should?
The Skoda Fabia records 0.84 seat belts and airbags failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 1.16 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) (−0.32, 95% interval −0.33 to −0.30). It ranks 414 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 Skoda Fabia by registration
What exactly fails on seat belts and airbags?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Skoda Fabia is “An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction”, recorded 3,879 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction | 3,879 | 0.28 |
| 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 | 2,160 | 0.16 |
| Seat belt not functioning as intended or of an incorrect type | 1,743 | 0.13 |
| Seat belt retractor not functioning as intended | 1,493 | 0.11 |
| Seat belt buckle missing, damaged or not functioning as intended | 1,198 | 0.09 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,381,992 (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 Skoda Fabia gets a seat belts and airbags advisory, how often does it fail next time?
4.8% of Skoda Fabia 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 5,790 miles later (4,780 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 4,780 (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
Skoda Fabia 2000 · Skoda Fabia 2001 · Skoda Fabia 2002 · Skoda Fabia 2003 · Skoda Fabia 2004 · Skoda Fabia 2005 · Skoda Fabia 2006 · Skoda Fabia 2007 · Skoda Fabia 2008 · Skoda Fabia 2009 · Skoda Fabia 2010 · Skoda Fabia 2011 · Skoda Fabia 2012 · Skoda Fabia 2013 · Skoda Fabia 2014 · Skoda Fabia 2015 · Skoda Fabia 2016 · Skoda Fabia 2017 · Skoda Fabia 2018 · Skoda Fabia 2019 · Skoda Fabia 2020 · Skoda Fabia in Norway · Skoda Fabia in Finland · Skoda Fabia in the Netherlands · Skoda Fabia by postcode area · Skoda Fabia body, chassis and structure failures · Skoda Fabia brakes failures · Skoda Fabia vehicle identification failures · Skoda Fabia lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Skoda Fabia noise, emissions and leaks failures · Skoda Fabia road wheels failures · Skoda Fabia steering failures · Skoda Fabia suspension failures · Skoda Fabia tyres failures · Skoda Fabia visibility failures