NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) March 10, 2009--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services today said it has revised its outlook on The Goodyear Tire&Rubber Co. to negative from stable and affirmed its 'BB-' corporate credit rating. At the same time, we lowered our issue-level ratings on the company's unsecured debt to reflect revised post-default recovery expectations. "The outlook revision reflects our view that tire demand will continue to decline as economic conditions deteriorate worldwide," said Standard&Poor's credit analyst Lawrence Orlowski. In the fourth quarter, Goodyear's sales fell about 20% from those of a year earlier, caused primarily by decreased auto production volumes. Double-digit sales declines occurred in all four geographic segments; the Europe, Middle East, and Africa
