LIVONIA, Mich., April 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- World class products from TRW Vehicle Safety Systems Inc., a TRW Automotive subsidiary, recently helped Ford Motor Co.'s 2004 F-150 Regular Cab, SuperCab and SuperCrew earn the top safety score -- five stars for both the driver and passenger side -- in the federal government's frontal impact crash test. Equipped with TRW's state-of-the-art dual-stage inflatable restraint systems and seat belt technologies -- including the seat belt reminder -- the F-150 provides superior crash protection. The F-150 was the only 2004 model-year pickup to earn this exceptional rating for both seat positions.

In the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) test, which is officially known as the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), vehicles are rated on the level of protection that is provided to occupants who are properly restrained by their seat belt in a frontal collision.

TRW produces the primary restraint systems for the F-150, including passenger and driver side airbags with dual stage inflators that allow the deployment to be tailored depending on the size of the occupant and the severity of the crash. The driver side airbag is integrated into a TRW supplied steering wheel engineered for enhanced crashworthiness. The seat belt system is fitted with a pretensioning device designed to reduce slack from the seat belt system in the event of an accident.

These occupant safety system products help to make up Ford's "Personal Safety System" -- a suite of restraint technologies designed to tailor their response to the severity of the crash and other factors.

"Achieving a five-star rating for the F-150 is a great success for TRW and the Ford team given that such an exceptional rating is typically very difficult to earn due to the stiff crash pulse for trucks," said Doug P. Campbell, vice president of engineering for the occupant safety systems business of TRW Automotive. "Clearly, TRW Automotive is committed to producing world-class, advanced safety components and systems for its customers, which will ultimately help to make vehicles safer for consumers."

About TRW

With 2003 sales of $11.3 billion, TRW Automotive ranks among the world's top 10 automotive suppliers. Headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, USA, the Company, through its subsidiaries, employs approximately 61,000 people in 22 countries. Its products include integrated vehicle control and driver assist systems, braking systems, steering systems, suspension systems, occupant safety systems (seat belts and airbags), electronics, engine components, fastening systems and aftermarket replacement parts and services. TRW Automotive news is available on the Internet at www.trwauto.com .

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains statements that are not statements of historical fact, but instead are forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements made in this release. Such risks, uncertainties and other important factors which could cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in our forward-looking statements are set forth in the TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. final prospectus dated as of February 2, 2004 (the "Prospectus") filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4) and our Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003 (the "10-K") and include: our substantial leverage; the highly competitive automotive parts industry and its cyclicality; pricing pressures from our customers; increasing costs for purchased components and raw materials; non- performance by, or insolvency of, our suppliers; product liability and warranty and recall claims; our dependence on our largest customers; limitations on flexibility in operating our business contained in our debt agreements; increases in interest rates; fluctuations in foreign exchange rates; the possibility that our owners' interests will conflict with ours; work stoppages or other labor issues and other risks and uncertainties set forth under "Risk Factors" in the Prospectus, in the 10-K and in our other SEC filings. We do not intend or assume any obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements.

Source: TRW Automotive

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