Ford Motor Company Statement Regarding Firestone Announcement

    DEARBORN, Mich., May 21 The following is attributed to
Jacques Nasser, President and CEO, Ford Motor Company :

    This morning, Ford's lead research team met with Firestone's top
management in Nashville to present the most recent analysis of Firestone
Wilderness AT tires.  This analysis is based on discussions with both
Firestone and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and includes
a review of the latest Firestone real-world data, competitive tire data and
exhaustive laboratory and vehicle testing.

    Tomorrow, we plan to inform our customers, NHTSA and Congress of these
findings concerning Firestone Wilderness AT tires and, importantly, our
actions to address these issues.

    We are deeply disappointed that upon hearing and seeing this analysis of
Firestone Wilderness AT tires, Firestone decided not to work together for the
safety of our shared customers, which is the only issue that matters.

    Regarding the Ford Explorer, the Department of Transportation data
demonstrates that for more than 10 years, Explorer consistently has ranked at
or near the top in terms of safety among the 12 SUVs in its class.  In
addition, 2.9 million Goodyear tires on Explorers have performed with
industry-leading safety for more than 500,000 customers and their families.

    The safety and trust of our customers continues to be our number one
priority and guides our every action.