Abstract: For detecting and localizing sensor defects in motor vehicles, a sensor determines a measuring signal for the description of the dynamic behavior of the motor vehicle. A state value assigned to the measuring signal is computed from a mathematical equivalent model. An estimation error of the state value is determined and a residue is determined from the difference between the measuring signal and a reference quantity which corresponds to the measuring signal and is formed from the state value. For clearly detecting and localizing the sensor defects, a characteristic parameter is formed by multiplying the residue and the estimation error, and an error signal is generated if the characteristic parameter exceeds a limit value.