The MOT Files

Section 7 · Other equipment

7.1.4 Seat belt pre-tensioners

Manual indexed

Quick answer

Sub-section 7.1.4 of the MOT inspection manual covers seat belt pre-tensioners and lists 1 defects. A reference like "(7.1.4 (a))" on a certificate points to the matching row below.

Official wording

The defect clauses

  1. 7.1.4 (a)Major

    A seat belt pre-tensioner fitted as original equipment obviously missing or deployed

    Seat belt damaged or not working properly explained: what it means and what puts it right

Wording and categories reproduced from the DVSA inspection manual under the Open Government Licence. Frequencies are items per 100 failed class 4 tests across the DVSA anonymised MOT dataset; a clause with no figure was not recorded often enough to appear in any model’s top forty failure items. 1 of 1 clauses link to our own explanation.

Grading

What the categories mean

Dangerous
a direct and immediate risk to road safety or the environment. The vehicle fails and must not be driven until repaired, even to a garage.
Major
a defect that affects safety, the environment or other road users. The vehicle fails.
Minor
a defect with no significant effect on safety or the environment. Recorded on the certificate; the vehicle passes.

The full guide to defect grading

Section 7

Other sub-sections of other equipment

All sections of the manual

Common questions

What does 7.1.4 mean on an MOT certificate?
It refers to sub-section 7.1.4 of the MOT inspection manual, "Seat belt pre-tensioners", within section 7, other equipment. The letter or letters after it — (a), (b)(i) and so on — identify the specific defect from the 1 listed here. 1 Major and 0 Minor.
Which seat belt pre-tensioners defect is recorded most often?
None of the clauses in this sub-section appears among the most-recorded failure items nationally; they are rare in practice.
Does a Minor defect fail the MOT?
No. a defect with no significant effect on safety or the environment. Recorded on the certificate; the vehicle passes. Major and Dangerous defects fail. A Dangerous defect also means the car must not be driven until it is repaired.