Tenneco Automotive to Reduce Worldwide Salaried Work Force

    LAKE FOREST, Ill., Jan. 31 Tenneco Automotive
announced today that it intends to eliminate up to an additional 405 salaried
positions worldwide in response to increasingly difficult industry conditions.
This reduction includes the immediate elimination of 215 positions.
    This action is in addition to the cost-reduction plans announced by the
company in October 2000 that included eliminating up to 700 salaried positions
worldwide by the end of 2001.  Today's cost-reduction plans are expected to be
fully implemented by the end of the first quarter 2002, at which time the
company anticipates it will have reduced its worldwide salaried workforce by
22 percent as a result of the two initiatives.
    Like many others in the automotive supply sector, the company continues to
be negatively impacted by a persistent weakness in the global aftermarket,
cutbacks in North American light vehicle production, and a sharp decline in
North American heavy-duty truck production.
    "We regret the impact on our people as we eliminate more positions," said
Mark P. Frissora, chairman and CEO, Tenneco Automotive.  "However, we are
facing very tough industry conditions which, coupled with our highly leveraged
structure, make it absolutely necessary to respond as quickly as possible by
continuing to aggressively cut costs and reduce spending."
    Tenneco Automotive estimates that this cost reduction plan will generate
approximately $27 million in annual savings when fully implemented.  The
company anticipates taking cash charges of up to $14 million in 2001 related
to the reductions announced today.  All work force reductions will be done in
compliance with all legal and contractual requirements including obligations
to consult with worker committees, union representatives and others.
    The annual savings are expected to be in addition to the approximately
$45 million in annual savings the company anticipates it will realize when the
workforce reduction plans announced in October 2000 are completed at the end
of 2001.
    Tenneco Automotive is a $3.5 billion manufacturing company headquartered
in Lake Forest, Ill., with 23,000 employees worldwide.  Tenneco Automotive is
one of the world's largest producers and marketers of ride control and exhaust
systems and products, which are sold under the Monroe(R) and Walker (R) global
brand names. Among its products are Sensa-Trac(R) and Reflex(TM) shocks and
struts, Rancho(R) shock absorbers, Walker(R) Quiet-Flow(R) mufflers and
DynoMax(R) performance exhaust products, and Monroe(R) Clevite(TM) vibration
control components.
    This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding, among
other things, the company's cost reduction plans (including without limitation
the anticipated timing, charges and savings related thereto).  Words such as
"expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "will" and similar expressions identify
these forward-looking statements.  These forward-looking statements are based
on the current expectations of the company (including its subsidiaries).
Because these forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, the
company's plans, actions and actual results could differ materially.  Among
the factors that could cause these plans, actions and results to differ
materially from current expectations are:  (i) the general political, economic
and competitive conditions in markets and countries where the company and its
subsidiaries operate, including currency fluctuations and other risks
associated with operating in foreign countries; (ii) governmental actions,
including the ability to receive regulatory approvals and the timing of such
approvals; (iii) changes in capital availability or costs, including increases
in the company's costs of borrowing (i.e., interest rate increases); (iv)
changes in automotive manufacturers' production rates and their actual and
forecasted requirements for the company's products, including the company's
resultant inability to realize the sales represented by its awarded book of
business; (v) changes in consumer demand and prices, including decreases in
demand for automobiles which include the company's products, and the potential
negative impact on the company's revenues and margins from such products; (vi)
the cost of compliance with changes in regulations, including environmental
regulations; (vii) workforce factors such as strikes or labor interruptions;
(viii) material substitutions and increases in the costs of raw materials;
(ix) the company's ability to integrate operations of acquired businesses
quickly and in a cost effective manner; (x) the company's ability to execute
restructuring and other cost reduction plans and to realize anticipated
benefits from these plans;  (xi) the company's ability to develop and
profitably commercialize new products and technologies, and the acceptance of
such new products and technologies by the company's customers; (xii) further
changes in the distribution channels for the company's aftermarket products,
and further consolidations among automotive parts customers and suppliers;
(xiii) changes by the Financing Accounting Standards Board or other accounting
regulatory bodies of authoritative generally accepted accounting principles or
policies; and (xiv) the timing and occurrence (or non-occurrence) of
transactions and events which may be subject to circumstances beyond the
control of the company and its subsidiaries.  The company undertakes no
obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or
circumstances after the date of this press release.