Carrier Responds to State of Washington Class Action Ruling

The U.S. District Court in the state of Washington granted class action status recently to a case by Washington owners of high-efficiency furnaces made by Carrier Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX). The Court's decision was procedural in nature and did not address the merits of the plaintiffs' claims.

"The plaintiffs' claims in this case are completely without merit," said Halsey Cook, president of Carrier's Residential and Light Commercial Systems division. "We look forward to defending ourselves against these allegations in a court of law where we expect to win.

"Contrary to the claims made by the plaintiffs' lawyers, these are highly reliable products," added Cook. "Our national warranty rate for secondary heat exchangers on this product, which has been in production since 1993, is less than one half of one percent. In the state of Washington that percentage is even lower. We believe these rates reflect our history of delivering high quality, reliable furnaces."

The lawsuit, which was filed in June 2005, alleges that because Carrier used a material, polypropylene-laminated ("PPL") steel, that was different from every other manufacturer of high-efficiency furnaces, it must be "defective." Carrier Corp. strongly denies the claim.

"Carrier has designed innovative products for more than 100 years," said Cook. "Our patented PPL heat exchangers not only exceed industry standards for corrosion, but the design improves durability against acidic condensation. More importantly, because of its design, the furnace uses less electricity and gas, making it the most energy efficient furnace on the market today."

About Carrier Corp.

Carrier Corp., headquartered in Farmington, Conn., is the world's largest provider of heating, air conditioning and refrigeration solutions, with approximately 41,300 employees and operations in 172 countries. Carrier is part of United Technologies Corp., a Hartford, Connecticut-based provider of a broad range of high technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries worldwide. Visit http://www.carrier.com for more information.