The settlement was announced shortly after a federal court jury began a fourth day of deliberations in the first case to go to trial since a massive Firestone tire recall.

U.S. District Judge Filemon Vela brought jurors into the courtroom at 10:15 a.m. EDT and told them, "The parties have reached an agreement for an undisclosed amount."

The lawsuit was brought by Dr. Joel Rodriguez, a physician whose wife, Marisa, is paralyzed and must use a wheelchair after the crash of a Ford Explorer with Firestone tires on a Mexican road in March 2000.

Mr. Rodriguez's lawyers say the crash was caused by a defective tire.

Firestone lawyers, however, have blamed the crash on Ford Motor Co., saying the faulty design of the Explorer sport utility vehicle made tires lose their tread. They said other vehicles wouldn't have rolled over after a similar tire failure. Firestone is a unit of Japan's Bridgestone Corp.

While the jury was deliberating Friday morning, the lawyers in the case were seen going behind closed doors in a room near the courtroom.

After Judge Vela announced the settlement, he recommended that jurors not speak to the reporters about the case, saying their comments could affect other cases.

Federal officials have linked more than 200 deaths to accidents involving Firestone tire failures on Ford Explorers.