NEWS & MEDIA

Press Releases

November 1, 2005

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GROWING MONROE® PRODUCT PORTFOLIO EXPANDS REACH OF 'SAFETY TRIANGLE' MESSAGE

Brand Leveraging Ride Control Leadership, New Brake Offering to Help Consumers Enhance Vehicle Steering, Stopping and Stability

Las Vegas, NV - As it nears its 90th year in the automotive service industry, Tenneco's (NYSE: TEN) Monroe® brand is spreading its wings from ride control into the replacement brakes category. With this growing portfolio of undercar solutions, Monroe® also is expanding the reach of its "Safety Triangle" maintenance message, which encourages consumers to protect their driving safety by ensuring proper vehicle steering, stopping and stability characteristics.

The Safety Triangle is the system of interconnected components that help enhance driving performance and safety through proper steering, stopping and stability characteristics. Components included in the Safety Triangle are tires, brakes, shocks, struts, and steering linkage and suspension parts such as tie rod ends, idler arms and ball joints. The presence of just one worn Safety Triangle component could jeopardize the driver's ability to steer, stop and maintain stability under challenging driving conditions.

"The Safety Triangle concept helps consumers understand the true, safety-critical role of steering and suspension components they may or may not be able to see," said Richard Alameddine, vice president of marketing, North American aftermarket, Tenneco. "The introduction of premium Monroe® brakes enables automotive service providers to rely on one of the industry's strongest brands to restore safe steering, stopping and stability through replacement brakes, shocks and struts."

Monroe® communicates the Safety Triangle message through a wide range of educational materials available from service shops and auto parts suppliers and on the www.monroe.com and www.monroebrakes.com Web sites. The brand also sponsors a comprehensive "Ride and Drive" experience which each year helps thousands of automotive professionals learn how to diagnose Safety Triangle problems.

"Many drivers are able to determine when their brake pads or tires need to be replaced," Alameddine said. "It's important to recognize that safe stopping also depends on fully operational shocks and struts, ball joints and other components that help maintain firm traction."

For more information on the Safety Triangle chassis system, visit www.monroe.com or www.monroebrakes.com, or write to: Monroe® Marketing, One International Drive, Monroe, MI 48161.

Tenneco is a $4.2 billion manufacturing company with headquarters in Lake Forest, Illinois, and approximately 18,400 employees worldwide. Tenneco is one of the world's largest producers and marketers of ride control and exhaust systems and products, which are sold under the Monroe® and Walker® global brand names. Among its products are Sensa-Trac® and Monroe Reflex® shocks and struts, Rancho® shock absorbers, Walker® Quiet-Flow® mufflers and DynoMax® performance exhaust products, and Monroe® Clevite® vibration control components.

CONTACT

Drew Shippy
Pinnacle Communications Group Inc.
(330) 688-3500
drew@pinnmedia.com