NHTSA Investigates Ford BlueCruise After Fatal Crashes Involving Mustang Mach-E Vehicles

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an investigation into the safety of Ford Motor's hands-free driving system, BlueCruise, following two recent fatal crashes involving Mustang Mach-E vehicles colliding with stationary vehicles at night on controlled-access highways in San Antonio, Texas and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The crashes resulted in three fatalities.

NHTSA said it had received notice of the two incidents and is investigating the safety of the BlueCruise system. The preliminary evaluation includes an estimated 130,050 Mach-E vehicles from the 2021 through 2024 model years to determine if they pose an unreasonable safety risk.

The first crash occurred on February 24 in San Antonio, where a Mach-E hit a stopped Honda CR-V, killing the Honda driver. The second incident happened on March 3 in Philadelphia, where a Mach-E collided with a stationary Hyundai Elantra, pushing it into a Toyota Prius and killing two people who were outside their vehicles.

NHTSA confirmed that BlueCruise was engaged in both vehicles immediately prior to the collisions, which occurred during "night time lighting conditions." The investigation will evaluate the system's performance on the dynamic driving task and driver monitoring.

Why this matters: The fatal crashes raise concerns about the safety and reliability of advanced driver assistance systems like BlueCruise. The outcome of NHTSA's investigation could have significant implications for the development and regulation of these technologies across the automotive industry.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has also opened separate investigations into the two Mach-E crashes. "The NTSB has opened separate investigations into the two Mach-E crashes," the agency stated. Ford is working with NHTSA to support the investigation. "Ford is working with the NHTSA to support the investigation," the automaker said in a statement.

Key Takeaways

• NHTSA investigating Ford's BlueCruise system after 2 fatal crashes in Texas and Pennsylvania.
• Crashes involved Mustang Mach-E vehicles colliding with stationary vehicles at night on highways.
• Preliminary evaluation covers 130,050 Mach-E vehicles from 2021-2024 model years.
• NTSB also opened separate investigations into the two Mach-E crashes.
• Ford is cooperating with NHTSA to support the investigation into the safety of BlueCruise.