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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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 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 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.