Richard L. Wambold Elected to Cooper's Board of Directors

FINDLAY, Ohio, July 16 -- COOPER TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY has announced that its Board of Directors has elected Richard L. Wambold as its newest member, effective July 17, 2003, replacing Edsel D. Dunford, who has decided to retire for personal reasons after nine years of service as a director. Mr. Wambold will serve for the remainder of Mr. Dunford's term, which expires on May 3, 2005.

Mr. Wambold is chairman and chief executive officer of Pactiv Corporation, a $2.9 billion provider of advanced packaging solutions. After 22 years of service with Tenneco, Inc. in positions of increasing responsibility, he was appointed CEO of Pactiv in November 1999, when it was spun off from Tenneco and became an independent company. In March 2000, he was elected to the additional post of chairman of the board. While serving as executive vice president and general manager of Tenneco Packaging's Specialty Packaging and Consumer Products business groups, sales of those businesses increased almost fourfold to $2 billion. He has a solid record of success, including the acquisition and integration of new businesses, product innovation and earnings growth.

"Ed Dunford has served us with distinction during his nine years as a director, and we will miss the experience and dedication with which he performed his duties," said Thomas A. Dattilo, Chairman of the Board.

"We are very pleased that Richard Wambold has accepted a position as a director of our company," he continued. "He has an impressive track record of success as a business leader and chief executive officer. As we move forward to implement our plans and strategies, we look forward to Richard's advice and counsel and his ability to contribute to the success of our organization for the benefit of our shareholders."

Company Description

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company is headquartered in Findlay, Ohio and specializes in the manufacture and marketing of automotive products. Products for Cooper Tire include automotive, motorcycle and truck tires, inner tubes, tread rubber and equipment. Cooper-Standard Automotive is an original equipment supplier of sealing, trim, NVH control systems and fluid handling systems for the automotive industry in North America, Europe, Australia and South America. Cooper has more than 20,000 employees and 52 manufacturing facilities in 13 countries. For more information, visit the Company's web site at: www.coopertire.com .