YOKOHAMA TIRE RESPONDS TO NHTSA'S MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY REPORT

Contact: PCGCampbell - Jeff Green (310) 224-4961, jgreen@pcgcampbell.com

FULLERTON, CA (Oct. 2, 2008) -- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released information (49 CFR Part 573) pertaining to potential defects to motor vehicle safety. The contents were generated from quarterly data provided to NHTSA -- under the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability, and Documentation (TREAD) Act -- by tire manufacturers and other automotive equipment manufacturers.

"There's an important caveat to all this," says Jim MacMaster, Executive Vice President, Business Division, Yokohama Tire Corporation. "The published results, while informative, represent claims that have not been substantiated. The statistical data pertaining to claims filed against tire manufacturers have been culled from allegations; not corroborated fact."

The report states "...a claim exists regardless of any denial or refusal to pay it, and regardless of whether it has been settled or resolved in the manufacturer's favor." The report also explains that a complaint is defined as "a communication of any kind made by a consumer (or other person) to a manufacturer expressing dissatisfaction with a product..."

"Yokohama Tire believes that motor vehicle safety is paramount and that educating the driving public is always a positive development," says MacMaster. "We fully support all of NHTSA's efforts to safeguard consumers on America's highways -- including this data on potential defects. We want to assure the public realizes, though, the data is merely unverified information."

About Yokohama Tire Corporation
Yokohama Tire Corporation is the North American manufacturing and marketing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., a global producer and distributor of premium tires since 1917. Servicing a network of more than 4,500 points of sale in the U.S., Yokohama Tire Corporation offers a complete line of tires, including high-performance, light truck, passenger car, commercial truck and bus, as well as off-the-road mining and construction applications. For more information on Yokohama's extensive product line, visit www.yokohamatire.com. For details on Yokohama's environmental efforts, go to www.ecotreadsetters.com.