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( Perceivable / WCAG 1.3.1 )

Table cell headers attribute references a missing id

This check maps to Info and Relationships. Use the guidance below to confirm the issue, understand who it affects and ship a fix.

Serious Level A WCAG 1.3.1 — Info and Relationships

What’s wrong

A <td> has a headers attribute listing one or more ids, but at least one of those ids doesn’t match any element on the page, usually left over after a header cell was renamed or removed.

Why it matters

Screen readers use headers to announce which row and column header apply to each cell in complex tables. A broken reference means the cell reads with no header context at all.

How to fix it

Make sure every id listed in headers matches an existing <th>.

Before
<th id="qty-header">Quantity</th>
<td headers="quantity-header">12</td>
After
<th id="qty-header">Quantity</th>
<td headers="qty-header">12</td>

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