In response to reports of fatal collisions involving Ford vehicles equipped with BlueCruise technology, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has escalated its investigation. The NHTSA initially launched the probe following two deadly crashes last April, both involving Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles equipped with BlueCruise.
The NHTSA has now upgraded the investigation to an engineering analysis, focusing on Ford vehicles from the model years 2021-2024. This step is crucial as it precedes any potential recall demands by the NHTSA. The BlueCruise system, which relies on a camera-based driver monitoring system, is designed to assess driver attentiveness and can be used on 97% of highways in the U.S. and Canada with no intersections or traffic signals.
Although the technology was introduced in 2021 and is currently available in select Ford and Lincoln vehicles, concerns have arisen regarding its effectiveness. The NHTSA highlighted issues with the system's detection of stationary vehicles at high speeds on highways during nighttime conditions. In both fatal collisions under investigation, the Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles were reportedly traveling over 70 mph in BlueCruise mode when they crashed into stationary vehicles.
The NHTSA plans to delve deeper into these system limitations and assess drivers' ability to respond to situations that exceed these limitations. Concurrently, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has opened separate investigations into the two Mach-E crashes, emphasizing the need for a thorough examination of the circumstances leading to these tragic incidents.
As the investigations unfold, Ford Motor Company has yet to provide a public response to requests for comment on the matter. The intensifying scrutiny from regulatory agencies underscores the importance of ensuring the safety and reliability of advanced driver assistance technologies like BlueCruise.