John Lampe Quotations

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.

Would any of these people let their family or driven themselves in a Ford Explorer with these tires if they thought there was a problem?

The real issue here is the safety of the Explorer, ... Ford refused to look at issues surrounding the Explorer in August. Ford failed to do that today.

Since the early 90s, we have been a decentralized company, focusing on 21 separate businesses, ... While this structure was innovative and successful for our company then, it is time to dismantle the castle walls and empty the moats.

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,

We look forward to presenting our information to the committee and showing them our tires are safe.

Our tires are safe, ... When we have a problem, we admit it and we fix it. We've proven that.

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,

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 as a tire manufacturer have recommended a tire pressure on these tires of 30 PSI, ... We believe very strongly that 30 PSI provides consumers with additional safety margin. With 30 PSI, the Explorer can handle over 400 pounds extra load.

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.

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.

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

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.

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,

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.

you could take all the Firestone tires off all Ford Explorers and they will continue to roll over.