Few Have Had Recalled Seat Belts Replaced

Government officials are disappointed so few owners of the 8.9 million vehicles with recalled seat belts have brought them in for repair.

Only 18 percent of the owners of cars and trucks sold from 1986 to 1991 with seat belts made by Takata Inc. have had their belts replaced in the first year of the recall campaign, highway safety officials said Tuesday.

Eleven automakers agreed to the recall in 1995 - the largest in U.S. history - because of concerns the orange plastic piece of the belt button can chip off and fall into the buckle, jamming it.