The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated an investigation into Ford’s BlueCruise technology after two fatal accidents involving vehicles equipped with the automatic driving assistance system, which operates without requiring the driver to hold the steering wheel.
Announced on April 29, the NHTSA’s probe will initially focus on approximately 130,000 Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles spanning model years 2021 to 2024, aiming to assess potential safety risks associated with the BlueCruise system.
In response, Ford released a statement expressing its cooperation with the NHTSA investigation.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has also launched separate investigations into the two incidents involving Mach-E crashes. The first accident occurred on February 24, involving a Mach-E utilizing the BlueCruise system colliding with a parked Honda CR-V in San Antonio, Texas, resulting in the driver’s fatality. The second incident took place on March 3 in Philadelphia, claiming the life of a 56-year-old driver.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the BlueCruise system was active prior to the Philadelphia crash, according to the NHTSA.
The accidents, both transpiring under nighttime light conditions, prompted the NHTSA to undertake a special investigation into the incidents.
BlueCruise, Ford’s advanced autonomous driving system, allows hands-free operation on 97% of highways in the US and Canada devoid of intersections or traffic lights. Utilizing surveillance cameras, the system monitors driver behavior and attentiveness.
The scope of the NHTSA’s inquiry encompasses Mach-E vehicles equipped with the Co-Pilot360 Active 2.0 driver assistance technology, which integrates the BlueCruise system introduced in 2021 and featured in several Ford and Lincoln models.
The investigation will scrutinize the system’s performance during dynamic driving scenarios and its ability to track driver engagement.