Lights on your dashboard can mean a number of things – many of them not good! But will your airbag light result in an MOT fail?
Will A Faulty Airbag Fail An MOT?
The all-important question – regardless of the light being on or off, will your car fail its MOT test if there’s any kind of fault with the airbag?
The answer, unfortunately, is yes. Airbags are critical to the safety of the car’s driver and passengers, and since the MOT test is all about checking your vehicle is safe, it should come as no surprise a dodgy airbag will result in a fail.
Why Does The Airbag Light Fail My MOT?
The safety of yourself and your passengers is important. It’s why the MOT test exists. If the light is on, it shows that something could be wrong with this safety feature that can, and will, save your life in a crash.
Yes, the light could indicate something simple like a problem with the sensor or the bulb itself, but it could also mean a host of other issues. The MOT tech won’t know until they investigate, and the light tells them they need to.
I’ve Been Driving With My Airbag Light On – Is It Unsafe?
In a word, yes. You don’t know what problems might be causing that light to come on. Therefore, you don’t know if your airbags are going to work properly if you have an accident. In fact, you’d better assume that they won’t.
Driving with other warning lights on can put your vehicle at risk. Driving with your airbag light on can put YOU at risk.
Is It Illegal To Drive With Your Airbag Light On?
No, it’s not illegal, so you can do it if you’re not too concerned with your own safety. However, it can in some cases invalidate your insurance policy. It’s best to check with them before you drive with a faulty airbag, since you’ll only need your insurance company’s help after an accident!
How Can My Airbag Light Problems Be Fixed?
If you want to turn the airbag light off, you should aim to get whatever issue(s) causing it to light up fixed. How should you do this? Well, that depends on the nature of the problem, of course. That being said, airbags are important, but they’re also quite technical. It’s best to take the vehicle to a professional mechanic so that the airbag can be assessed properly.
A trained technician will be able to tell you what the problem is and whether it’s fixable – it most likely will be, but could end up being expensive!
Common Airbag Faults – How Each Problem Is Fixed
Most (if not all) of these problems are very technical and a fix should only be attempted by someone who knows what they are doing. It’s not worth taking a risk with your airbags – they could save your life one day.
- Sensors – The sensors are the brain of the SRS (Supplementary Restraint System) and if they go wrong, the whole setup could fail. Identifying which sensor is causing trouble and replacing it will fix this.
- Wiring – Electrical components can be damaged by the elements or other causes of corrosion. Figure out which wire is at fault, then repair or replace it.
- Clock Spring – This is a coil of wiring that send the signals from the steering wheel to the airbag. If these wires become damaged or worn, they will need replacing.
- Corroded Module – If the modules become damaged, the wiring behind them can follow. This means that they will stop working and will often need replacing.
- Seatbelts – Your seatbelts work in tandem with your airbags, so if they aren’t locking correctly it will have a larger impact. Fixing or replacing the faulty seatbelt part should also sort out the airbag light.
Some of these problems, like seatbelts and corroded modules, are more serious. A dodgy sensor should be an easy (and relatively cheap) fix, but replacing an entire airbag module can be time-consuming and expensive!
Whilst all airbag problems should be repairable, they’re not always worth fixing. And on that note…
How Much Does It Cost To Fix An Airbag Problem?
Now we know what can go wrong with your airbag to cause the light to come on, let’s take a look at how much it can cost to fix each problem. Bare in mind that there’s rarely a universal price in car repairs, so the prices listed are an average:
- Sensor – £90
- Airbag module – £350
- Control unit – £450
- Seatbelts – £225
As for the wiring, this price can vary wildly due to labour costs. Different cars will have wiring that is more difficult to access.
What To Do If You Can’t Or Don’t Want To Pay For Repairs
If your car is old or already carrying some other damage, the worst case scenario of a complete airbag replacement might not be worth doing. In this case, it’s good to be aware of other options.
If your insurance company were to assess your car and decide the repair costs outweighed its value, they’d write it off. You should consider this yourself before choosing to make any repairs. Not worth fixing your car? Selling it as scrap or salvage is always an option. Make some money to put towards something newer, safer and more reliable.
How Can I Prevent My Airbag Light From Coming On?
As with all parts of your car, the way to keep them working is regular maintenance and car care.
Simple things like keeping your car out of the elements, by storing it in a garage or under a cover, can stop rain or frost damaging the wiring. Taking extra care with seatbelts and not being too harsh on your steering wheel will also keep them in good nick, and in turn prevent that airbag light (and any others) from coming on.
Regular servicing will also ensure any growing problems are nipped in the bud and dealt with before they develop. This keeps your car working great so that when the next MOT comes around, you won’t have to worry about your airbag or anything else that might fail it.
MOT & Airbag FAQs
Why Are Airbags So Important For Road Safety?
Airbags are actually very, very clever. They act in the blink of an eye to reduce the physical impact of a crash in a way the human body never could.
The USA’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that in 30 years (1987-2017) frontal airbags alone saved more than 50,000 lives – and that’s just in America!
Can An Airbag Replacement Write Off A Car?
If your car isn’t worth thousands of pounds in the first place, the cost of replacing an airbag – especially after a crash – could be the difference between your insurance company paying to fix it and writing the whole car off.
Can I Replace My Airbag Myself?
This is NOT recommended. They are very technical bits of kit that need to be installed properly in order to be safe. You should not attempt a DIY fix on your airbag for safety reasons.
