The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has taken its investigation into Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free driving system to the next stage, upgrading its probe to an Engineering Analysis, a step that could lead to a large-scale recall of affected vehicles. The initial investigation was launched following multiple crashes, including two fatal incidents involving the Mustang Mach-E.
Background of the Investigation
NHTSA initially opened a Preliminary Evaluation in April 2024 after receiving reports of two fatal crashes involving BlueCruise-equipped Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles. Both collisions occurred at night while the vehicles were traveling at speeds exceeding 70 mph (112km/h) on controlled-access highways. The crashes resulted from the cars failing to detect stationary vehicles in their path.
In response to NHTSA’s request for information, Ford disclosed that more than 2.5 million Ford and Lincoln vehicles are equipped with partial driving automation systems, including BlueCruise and Lane Centering Assist (LCA). However, the investigation has focused specifically on 129,222 Mustang Mach-E vehicles equipped with BlueCruise from model years 2021 to 2024.
Identified Safety Concerns
According to NHTSA’s findings, Ford’s Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), a key component of BlueCruise, is programmed to ignore stationary objects when the vehicle is traveling at 62 mph (100km/h) or higher. This decision was made to prevent false detections at long distances that could lead to unnecessary braking, also known as phantom braking.
However, investigators have found that this system limitation may be a critical factor in the fatal crashes and several non-fatal incidents involving Ford vehicles.
Additionally, the initial investigation found BlueCruise’s performance may be compromised in low-visibility conditions, such as nighttime driving or insufficient roadway illumination. The crashes under investigation, as well as a significant number of 2,004 non-crash reports, suggest that the system’s inability to detect stopped or slow-moving vehicles has led to dangerous situations where drivers had to intervene suddenly.
NHTSA’s Next Steps
With the Engineering Analysis now in progress, NHTSA will:
- Conduct vehicle evaluations to test BlueCruise’s ability to detect stationary vehicles at high speeds.
- Review additional technical information provided by Ford.
- Analyze data from crashes and non-crash reports, including in-vehicle event data recorders and connected vehicle telemetry.
This next phase of the investigation aims to determine whether BlueCruise’s system limitations pose an unreasonable risk to safety and whether Ford will be required to issue a recall. If a defect is confirmed, Ford could be forced to recall nearly 130,000 Mustang Mach-E vehicles equipped with BlueCruise.
You can read the NHTSA ODI Resume below.
