Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Earnings to Exceed Expectations

FINDLAY, Ohio, April 15 -- Cooper Tire & Rubber Company today announced that the Company's earnings per share for the first quarter of 2004 will be in the range of 30 to 34 cents (which includes the impact of approximately $4 million in restructuring costs), significantly higher than our previous estimate of 24 to 28 cents per share which did not include any estimate for restructuring. The result is due to much higher sales for the Company as well as the strong operating performance of Cooper-Standard Automotive which was due to higher customer production, new business won last year and a smaller than anticipated impact from increasing steel prices and other raw material costs during the quarter.

Full details of Cooper's first quarter results will be made available in a press release before the market opens on April 22, 2004. In addition, management will conduct a conference call to discuss the results at 11:00 a.m. (EDT) on April 22. The audio portion of that conference call can be accessed at the Company's investor relations web page at www.coopertire.com .

Company Description

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, headquartered in Findlay, Ohio, specializes in the manufacture and marketing of products for the global automotive industry. Products include automotive, motorcycle and truck tires, inner tubes, tread rubber and equipment, as well as sealing, trim, NVH control systems and fluid handling systems. 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.coopertireandrubber.com .