Car recall campaigns in America, prompted by concern over defective seat belts, are unlikely to have an impact on the local market, say dealers.

Mr. Malcolm Baxter, a mechanic with Honda Sales, said of the recalls: "They do not affect us.

"Honda imports from Europe for right-hand drive cars. There are also no seat belt laws in Bermuda, so if someone has a problem they can remove the belt.'' Mr. John Martin, general manager of Mazda, said: "We have had no notification from our manufacturers with regard to any recall.'' He added local customers had never complained about seat belts.

The recall plans relate to Japanese-made seat belts on millions of cars sold during a five-year period from 1986. There have been more than 700 complaints in the US that the belts jammed or failed to lock or unlock.

Eleven automakers -- eight Japanese and three American -- have 8.77 million vehicles with the Takata Corp. seat belts for those years.

The companies with the belts are: American Honda Motor Co. Inc., Nissan North America Inc., Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America Inc., Mazda Motor of America Inc.; American Suzuki Motor Corp., Isuzu Motors America Inc., Subaru of America Inc., Daihatsu Motor Co., General Motors Corp., Chrysler Corp. and Ford Motor Co.

Last week, Transport Minsister the Hon. Maxwell Burgess said the recall should not cause alarm among Island car owners.