No,but find out were the second MOT tester works and take your car there.

is a fail

Edited by Doc on 10/04/2013 at 22:39

I can't give an answer, but it is an interesting question, as it is increasingly these peripheral add-on bits that can send a good car to the scrapper before its time.

I do know about ABS. A car originally fitted with ABS must flash a signal to say it's working when the engine is started, and no lights should come on for the duration of the MOT test.

I'd presume that's the same for airbags.

You can remove the ABS completely, ie the pump and the electronic unit, and then pass the MOT without ABS.

I don't know if you could pull this trick with airbags. Something tells me that if they were originally fitted, they must still appear to work.

This is still a matter for debate amongst MOT testers but it I suggest the matter is clear.

The relevant section of the MOT Testing Manual as shown on the VOSA website is here. As you can see there are two reasons for failure (RFRs) relevant to airbags:

1. airbag obviously missing or defective
2. SRS malfunction indicator lamp indicating a malfunction

Some MOT testers are saying that if an airbag lamp is inoperable (never lights up at all, even when ignition first turned on) then this is an RFR, but in “Special Notice 01-2013” issued by VOSA to MOT test centres in March 2013 this was specifically excluded and removed from the manual:

• “Section 5.4, RFR 2 – SRS warning lamp inoperative has been deleted.”

This was also stated in an email from VOSA before the changes came in, as reported on the Pistonheads forum:

• “In respect of the SRS (Supplementary Restraint System) warning lamp; a vehicle will fail if this lamp indicates an SRS system malfunction. However, there will be no MOT requirement for the lamp to actually work once these changes become 'live'.”

So whilst driving a car with possibly faulty airbags is far from ideal, an inoperative airbag light should NOT fail the MOT (refer your MOT garage to VOSA if they think otherwise). This will at least keep your car legal while you investigate and repair the light, and any faults it might indicate.

Edited by joninashby on 24/10/2013 at 17:30

The airbag light is only a fail after March, up till now it's just an advisory, so I'd get your car in for MOT before March then you have a whole 12 months to sort it!

And according to the rules the airbag light must briefly illuminate (when it does the system check) and then go out, If it doesn't come on at all and it's present or it comes on and stays on then it's a fail.

Only one problem with this is where do things like modified vehicles that have had the airbag system removed fit into this, or people with medical conditions that require the airbag to be disabled.