ArvinMeritor Files Lawsuit over Transmission Patent Infringement by Eaton Corp.

TROY, Mich., Aug. 27, 2004 -- ArvinMeritor, Inc. has filed a lawsuit in Charlotte, N.C., Federal Court against Eaton Corp. for infringement over a transmission patent. The patent covers an ArvinMeritor transmission automation technology, which was developed for the ArvinMeritor ESS transmission, a model that has been superceded by higher technology. ArvinMeritor seeks an injunction to stop the sale of Eaton Transmission models UltraShift and AutoShift, which use this technology, as well as for damages for past infringement.

ArvinMeritor defeated Eaton last year in a patent lawsuit, claiming that the ESS infringed on an Eaton automatic transmission patent. Earlier this year, ArvinMeritor again defeated Eaton in its attempt in the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office to gain ownership of the same patent. The validity of the patent was upheld in that action.

"We now understand why Eaton has aggressively used the Patent and Trademark Office to obtain rights to an ArvinMeritor patent," said Tom Gosnell, president of ArvinMeritor's Commercial Vehicle Systems business group. "Our company has brought real innovation to heavy-duty truck transmissions. As a technology pioneer, we developed and brought the first affordable transmission automation system to customers. ESS was later followed by SureShift.

"This is an extremely broad patent," said Gosnell. "We believe that all of Eaton's automated manual transmissions infringe on it. While we welcome fair competition in the marketplace, we refuse to compete against our own patented technology advancements."

ArvinMeritor, Inc. is a premier $8 billion global supplier of a broad range of integrated systems, modules and components to the motor vehicle industry. The company serves light vehicle, commercial truck, trailer and specialty original equipment manufacturers and related aftermarkets. Headquartered in Troy, Mich., ArvinMeritor employs approximately 32,000 people at more than 150 manufacturing facilities in 27 countries. ArvinMeritor common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol ARM. For more information, visit the company's Web site at: http://www.arvinmeritor.com/ .