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.

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.

Our analysis suggests that there are significant safety issues with a substantial segment of Ford Explorers.

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?

With the charges we've taken for the recall I would expect the unit would not be profitable for the year, ... We've taken substantial charges for the recall that will probably put us in a deficit position.

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.

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.

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.

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.