Does the Vauxhall Zafira fail the MOT on seat belts and airbags more than it should?
The Vauxhall Zafira records 1.01 seat belts and airbags failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 1.27 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) (−0.26, 95% interval −0.28 to −0.24). It ranks 394 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 Vauxhall Zafira by registration
What exactly fails on seat belts and airbags?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Vauxhall Zafira is “Seat belt buckle missing, damaged or not functioning as intended”, recorded 5,489 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Seat belt buckle missing, damaged or not functioning as intended | 5,489 | 0.34 |
| An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction | 3,373 | 0.21 |
| Seat belt not functioning as intended or of an incorrect type | 2,157 | 0.13 |
| 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 | 1,474 | 0.09 |
| A seat belt or flexible stalk damaged | 1,165 | 0.07 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,608,690 (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 Vauxhall Zafira gets a seat belts and airbags advisory, how often does it fail next time?
3.8% of Vauxhall Zafira 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 6,317 miles later (18,865 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 18,865 (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
Vauxhall Zafira 1999 · Vauxhall Zafira 2000 · Vauxhall Zafira 2001 · Vauxhall Zafira 2002 · Vauxhall Zafira 2003 · Vauxhall Zafira 2004 · Vauxhall Zafira 2005 · Vauxhall Zafira 2006 · Vauxhall Zafira 2007 · Vauxhall Zafira 2008 · Vauxhall Zafira 2009 · Vauxhall Zafira 2010 · Vauxhall Zafira 2011 · Vauxhall Zafira 2012 · Vauxhall Zafira 2013 · Vauxhall Zafira 2014 · Vauxhall Zafira 2015 · Vauxhall Zafira 2016 · Vauxhall Zafira 2017 · Vauxhall Zafira 2018 · Vauxhall Zafira in Norway · Vauxhall Zafira in Finland · Vauxhall Zafira in the Netherlands · Vauxhall Zafira by postcode area · Vauxhall Zafira body, chassis and structure failures · Vauxhall Zafira brakes failures · Vauxhall Zafira vehicle identification failures · Vauxhall Zafira lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Vauxhall Zafira noise, emissions and leaks failures · Vauxhall Zafira road wheels failures · Vauxhall Zafira steering failures · Vauxhall Zafira suspension failures · Vauxhall Zafira tyres failures · Vauxhall Zafira visibility failures