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SEAT Altea seat belts and airbags problems

DVSA MOT tests 2022–2025 · 8,332 MOT tests · Updated

At 15 years, 3.0 in 100 MOT tests of the SEAT Altea failed on seat belts and airbags, against 1.7 for all class 4 vehicles the same age (all test years; 8,332 MOT tests) [1].

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  • Against all class 4 vehicles the same age: fails 1.5–1.9× as often as all class 4 vehicles the same age (all test years), 250 MOT tests with a fail
  • When it starts: clear of 1.2 times from 11 years and at every older age seen
  • Most common fail: Airbag (SRS) warning light on, 2.7 per 100 MOT tests

Figures are for the model as a whole, not for one car.

What the MOT tests show

What we know

3.0 fails per 100 MOT tests at 15 years, against 1.7 for all class 4 vehicles tested at 15 (all test years). The SEAT Altea fails more often here.

Why it matters

A seat belts and airbags fail stops the car passing until it is fixed; the most common one is rated major by DVSA.

What to check

Pull every seat belt out fully and let it retract, check each buckle latches and releases, and make sure the airbag light goes out after start-up.

SEAT Altea seat belts and airbags fails by age

SEAT Altea seat belts and airbags fails per 100 MOT tests by ageSolid line: the SEAT Altea. Dashed line: all cars the same age. The table below lists every value.02468 years: 0.5 per 100 (all cars 0.5), 1,283 MOT tests89 years: 1.5 per 100 (all cars 0.6), 2,837 MOT tests910 years: 1.1 per 100 (all cars 0.7), 4,553 MOT tests1011 years: 1.4 per 100 (all cars 0.9), 5,471 MOT tests1112 years: 1.7 per 100 (all cars 1.0), 6,031 MOT tests1213 years: 2.0 per 100 (all cars 1.2), 6,430 MOT tests1314 years: 2.3 per 100 (all cars 1.5), 7,106 MOT tests1415 years: 3.0 per 100 (all cars 1.7), 8,332 MOT tests1516 years: 4.4 per 100 (all cars 2.1), 7,939 MOT tests1617 years: 5.2 per 100 (all cars 2.5), 6,231 MOT tests1718 years: 5.4 per 100 (all cars 2.7), 4,030 MOT tests1819 years: 6.6 per 100 (all cars 2.9), 1,763 MOT tests19
Fails per 100 MOT tests by age, all first-use years pooled. SEAT Altea All class 4 vehicles the same age Shaded: over 18 years, survivors only.
AgeMOT testsFails per 100All class 4 vehicles the same age
81,2830.50.5
92,8371.50.6
104,5531.10.7
115,4711.40.9
126,0311.71.0
136,4302.01.2
147,1062.31.5
158,3323.01.7
167,9394.42.1
176,2315.22.5
184,0305.42.7
19*1,7636.62.9

All first-use years of the SEAT Altea pooled at each age, against all class 4 vehicles at that age over all 2022–2025 test years. * Only survivors are still tested at this age.

What fails in the seat belts and airbags at 15 years

Fails

  • Airbag (SRS) warning light on: 2.7 fails per 100 MOT tests, all class 4 vehicles 0.8. Diagnose and fix airbag (SRS) warning: estimated £39–£317 (0.5–1.5 h at £78/h (ONS local-garage repair quotes, 1,058 quotes from 65 garages, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026) + parts £0–£200) Airbag (SRS) warning lamp indicates a fault MOT fail

Diagnose and fix airbag (SRS) warning cost

Repair figures are estimates, not quotes: how we estimate repair costs.

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See a sample report

How to check on a test drive

Pull every seat belt out fully and let it retract, check each buckle latches and releases, and make sure the airbag light goes out after start-up.

Check one SEAT Altea, not the average

The figures here describe SEAT Altea cars as a group. These free tools answer for one car. Each line says what the tool reads.

Other SEAT Altea problems

Seat belts and airbags on rival models

Questions people ask

Does the SEAT Altea have more seat belts and airbags problems than other cars?

1.5 to 1.9 times the seat belts and airbags fail rate of all class 4 vehicles the same age at 15 years (all test years), from 8,332 MOT tests. The interval is clear of 1.2 in the same direction at 5 of the 12 ages seen (ages up to 18 with at least 100 MOT tests with a fail).

How common are SEAT Altea seat belts and airbags problems?

3.0 in 100 MOT tests at 15 years failed on seat belts and airbags, against 1.7 for all class 4 vehicles the same age (all test years; 8,332 MOT tests).

What is the most common SEAT Altea seat belts and airbags fail?

2.7 in 100 MOT tests at 15 years: Airbag (SRS) warning light on (222 MOT tests with it).

At what age do SEAT Altea seat belts and airbags fails start?

11 years: from then on the rate stays clear of 1.2 times all class 4 vehicles the same age at every age seen, 53,333 MOT tests.

Sources

  1. Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2022 to 2025. DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, 62,006 MOT tests. Accessed 7 Oct 2026.
  2. Office for National Statistics, Consumer price inflation, local price quotes (car repair items). ONS price quotes, series 610236. Accessed 7 Oct 2026.

Parts: against all class 4 vehicles at the same age, all 2022–2025 test years pooled, not adjusted for mileage. Breakdowns and non-MOT faults are not in this data. How we compare