EXHIBIT 16.1 Office of the Chief Accountant Securities and Exchange Commission 450 Fifth Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20549 May 21, 2002 Dear Sir/Madam: We have read the first four paragraphs in Item 4 included in the Form 8-K dated May 16, 2002, of the Lear Corporation Salaried Retirement Savings Plan, the Lear Corporation Hourly Retirement Savings Plan and the Lear Corporation Hourly 401(k) Savings Plan to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are in agreement with the statements contained therein. Very truly yours, /s/ Arthur Andersen LLP - ------------------------------------ Arthur Andersen LLP cc: David C. Wajsgras Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Lear Corporation