The SRS warning light stayed on with the engine running, meaning the airbag system has logged a fault and may not deploy correctly. It's a testable item on cars fitted with airbags.
Wording as it commonly appears on an MOT certificate: “Airbag warning lamp indicates a fault”.
What does it mean?
The SRS warning light stayed on with the engine running, meaning the airbag system has logged a fault and may not deploy correctly. It's a testable item on cars fitted with airbags.
How serious is it?
Usually recorded as: Major. The tester assesses the actual vehicle on the day, so your certificate is what counts.
What normally causes it?
- A broken wire or corroded connector under a front seat — the usual suspect, because the loom flexes every time the seat is moved
- A failed clock spring in the steering column, which also often kills the horn and wheel controls
- A seat occupancy or belt pretensioner sensor fault
- A previously deployed airbag never properly reset
What a mechanic would check
Read the SRS system with equipment that can actually talk to it — a basic code reader often can't. Then check the obvious mechanical suspects first: the connectors under the seats and the clock spring. Never start pulling airbag connectors about without disconnecting the battery and letting the system discharge.
What might need replacing
- A connector or wiring repair under the seat
- A clock spring
- A sensor or, less often, an SRS module
Can you still drive it?
It's a failure. Mechanically the car may be fine, but with the light on you cannot assume the airbags will work in a crash — and that's the whole point of them.
More seat belts and restraints failures · MOT failure decoder · Ask a mechanic about your certificate
This is general guidance from a UK mechanic, not a substitute for a physical inspection. Only the tester who inspected your vehicle can confirm what was recorded and why.