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Statement by Emmanuel Cassingena, President of Ford of Venezuela

1 September 2000

Statement by Emmanuel Cassingena, President of Ford of Venezuela

    DEARBORN, Mich., Aug. 31 The following statement is by
Emmanuel Cassingena, President of Ford of Venezuela:

    Ford Motor Company, on its own, took action on the Firestone tire tread
separation issue in Venezuela.  Ford already has replaced 60 percent of the
tires on affected Ford vehicles in Venezuela.  We replaced the Firestone tires
with Goodyear tires.  We have now analyzed many of these Venezuelan-produced
Firestone tires and found evidence of defects.
    We took these actions in the best interest of our customers in Venezuela.
We continue to urge Firestone to conduct a formal recall of the suspect tires
in Venezuela.
    One of our guiding principles has been to be open and transparent with the
public, the media and governments as we try to understand this complex tire
issue.
    In this manner, we have provided Venezuelan officials with technical
information of Firestone tires and the Ford Explorer.  We are extremely
confident of the product integrity of the Ford Explorer -- in Venezuela and
around the world.  We will fully cooperate with the Venezuelan government to
clarify this issue and demonstrate that what we have given is accurate and
honest.
    Ford Venezuela has never lied to INDECU or to our customers.