On October 30, 2001, Ford Motor Company announced that Jacques Nasser would be replaced as CEO by William Clay Ford Jr., 44-the first Ford family member to be in charge since 1979. Ford is the son of William Clay Ford Sr., who is the grandson of founder Henry Ford and brother of Henry Ford ll. Nasser had been under pressure for months for Ford's loss of market share and tumbling profitability and the adverse publicity of the Explorer In December 2001, the newly-designed 2002 Ford Explorer received a top score in a crash test from the Insurance Institute for Highway Changes in the 2002 Explorer to improve passenger protection were part of the automaker's "commitment to continuous improvements," a Ford spokesperson said.Firestone also bounced back, despite dire predictions of the brand's demise, as U.S. operations suffered a $1.7 billion loss in 2001 on top of a $510 million loss in 2000. Some called this"the most unlikely brand resurrection in marketing history.