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Dohring Company Study Shows Tire Failures Lead to Significant Negative Consumer Attitudes

22 August 2000

Dohring Company Study Shows Tire Failures Lead to Significant Negative Consumer Attitudes

                    Firestone and Ford Both Getting Blame

    LOS ANGELES, Aug. 22 The following was released today by
The Dohring Company:

    A national survey of 3,600 consumers indicates that the tire failure
controversy involving Firestone and Ford has seriously eroded confidence and
trust in both firms.  The research, conducted by The Dohring Company and its
million-member online consumer panel, OpinionSurveys.com , in conjunction with
Automotive News, shows that an alarming percentage of American consumers feel
that both Ford and Firestone fell short in honesty and speed of response.

            Consumer Attitudes Regarding Response to Tire Failure

                             FORD                 BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTONE
                 Excellent/Good    Fair/Poor   Excellent/Good    Fair/Poor

    Level of Honesty    53%          47%            34%             66%
    Helpfulness         60%          40%            46%             54%
    Speed of Response   51%          49%            34%             66%

    "Bridgestone/Firestone has taken a rather severe hit to its reputation in
terms of acknowledgement of the problem and the time it took to take
responsibility for the product failure," said Rik Kinney, senior vice
president of The Dohring Company.
    "Ford has also suffered a blow to its reputation, although to a lesser
extent," he added.
    Among the 3,000 plus respondents, the poll also assessed the attitudes and
intentions of 505 consumers intending to purchase an SUV in the future.
    Of the 75 percent of those not intending to purchase a Ford model, 25
percent cited the tire failures and handling of the subsequent recall as the
reasons why they changed their intentions regarding purchasing the Explorer
model.  Of all the SUV intenders surveyed, 94 percent characterized the
development as "somewhat negative" or "very negative."
    "Even though an aggressive recall and replacement program is in full
swing, the number of intenders removing the popular Explorer model from their
shopping consideration should be a cause of deep concern to Ford Motor
Company," Kinney said.
    "In situations like this, the speed of response to consumer concerns is
vital to controlling damage," Kinney added.
    The Dohring Company, Inc. is the largest provider of custom research to
the North American Retail Automotive industry.  The Glendale, CA-based firm
has conducted over 3,000 individual studies for automakers, dealers and
suppliers.  OpinionSurveys.com is the company's national online panel of
nearly one million American consumers.