John Lampe Quotations

We will do everything in our power to ensure the safety of the driving public, ... If one of our tires might jeopardize that safety, then we'll take it off the road. We've done it before, and, if it becomes necessary, we'll do it again. But, that is simply not the case here.

Please remember we're talking about a test that we agree to do that we do on our own. It's not a required test. That's a very, very severe test. It's a high-speed test, it's designed to take tires right up to their limits, ... If we don't have tires that fail tests, then what value are they?

Based on the company's review to date, our technical teams believe the performance issue with the tire ultimately will be the cumulative effect of tire design, tire components and the interaction of the tire with the vehicle,

In no way is our reduced production schedule a reflection of that plant's importance to our manufacturing, ... The plant plays a critical role in our total manufacturing process. We stand behind our employees at the Decatur plant.

It's not unusual for tires to experience some cosmetic cracking, and that is what we initially saw in this situation, ... As it became apparent that this was a unique circumstance, we decided a recall was the best course of action. With the design specification change, we believe we have taken the necessary steps to make sure this issue has been resolved.

We have been working closely with the state attorneys general on this issue for more than a year now, and believe that these efforts have allowed us to reach an acceptable agreement that permits us to focus our energies and our resources on rebuilding our company and the Firestone brand,

I want my first act as the new CEO to be a sincere apology to those who have suffered personal losses, or who have had problems with Firestone tires. We can debate over cause and responsibility, for there is much that is not known. But that does not change the fact that there have been tragic accidents, and for this I am deeply sorry.

I want to be very clear. Our tires are safe, and we will use every opportunity available in the process to prove that,

We are in a situation where sales of replacement tires have declined for several reasons, ... Obviously concerns surrounding the recall of certain Firestone tires is a contributor to this decline.

We appreciate the patience and understanding that so many of our Firestone customers have shown during this major undertaking, ... We're doing everything in our power to replace all recalled tires as quickly as possible.