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The National Journal examines how the Ford - Bridgestone/Firestone tire safety incident was a "case study in how corporations handle a Washington crisis." When the situation began in May of 2000, Ford was able to take immediate steps at diffusing the situation because of the large crisis response team it already had in place. Ford had a well-established Washington D.C. office for its lobbyists and legal teams to work out of as well as a PR firm to handle consumer issues. Conversely, Bridgestone/Firestone was left with no response team, and managed to take the majority of the flak for the recall. Bridgestone/Firestone went through several PR agency and legal firms during the course of the recall and subsequent Congressional hearings. As a result of the tire crisis Congress passed the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability, and Documentation (TREAD) Act, and Bridgestone/Firestone set up its first Washington office.

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