Christine Karbowiak Quotations

We are extremely pleased to announce that Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. and the United Steelworkers of America have reached tentative agreements on three contracts covering 8,000 workers at nine facilities in eight states.

We want to set the record straight. At no time during yesterday's meeting between Ford and Bridgestone/Firestone, did any representative from Ford ask us to recall tires or replace any tires. They did not ask us to join with them on a recall or a replacement program. They told us they had made absolutely NO decision concerning our tires on their vehicles. Comments by Ford to the contrary are inaccurate.

Since we settled this case some time ago we were not in the court to rebut the case. A small proportion of responsibility was attributed to this product.

For three consecutive years we've been the exclusive tire company of the Chicago Auto show, and our partnership with the show has given our brands and our products great visibility with consumers. This year we're proud to present an exhibit that both reflects our company's three important core values--trust, innovation and safety--and introduces visitors to our diverse businesses in the Americas as well as our global capabilities.

These things aren't indestructible. They are made out of rubber. Every passenger car sold in the United States is sold with a spare tire, and they're sold with a spare tire for a reason.

The tone is constructive. We remain hopeful that the progress will lead us to reach agreements acceptable to all parties.

We take this matter very seriously and realize time is of the essence.

We will inspect the tire for damage or excessive wear and ensure the tires are inflated to the level specified by the vehicle's manufacturer. If there is a problem, we will remedy the situation to the customer's satisfaction.

We were not aware of any court action that was taken. This was taken independently of that.

We are working past the deadline and through the night to reach new agreements with the USWA. We are encouraged by the substantial progress in negotiations but there are some remaining issues and the parties are continuing to work diligently to resolve these as soon as possible.