US Expands Investigation Into 129,000 Ford Vehicles Regarding Hands-Free Technology – One America News Network
By Reuters
January 20, 2025 – 4:46 AM PST
Advertisement
(Reuters) – The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced on Monday that it is intensifying its investigation into 129,222 vehicles produced by Ford Motor Company (F.N) following reports of accidents linked to the automaker’s hands-free driving feature, BlueCruise.
This investigation was initiated after two fatal accidents occurred last April involving Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles equipped with BlueCruise technology.
The NHTSA has escalated the probe to an engineering analysis phase, which now pertains to Ford vehicles manufactured from 2021 to 2024.
Engineering analysis is a prerequisite for the NHTSA to issue a recall.
The BlueCruise system utilizes a camera-based monitoring system to assess driver engagement and operates on 97% of U.S. and Canadian highways that lack intersections or traffic signals.
This technology debuted in the 2021 model year and is available in a select few models of Ford and Lincoln vehicles.
Additionally, in April, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) launched separate probes into the two Mustang Mach-E accidents, including one involving a Honda CR-V in Texas on February 24 and another in Philadelphia on March 3.
The NHTSA stated that during both fatal incidents, the Ford Mustang Mach-E was traveling above 70 mph in BlueCruise mode at night when it collided with a stationary vehicle.
The agency indicated that these vehicles may exhibit system deficiencies related to the detection of stationary objects at high speeds, particularly in low-light conditions.
The NHTSA plans to conduct a further examination of these limitations and assess drivers’ abilities to manage situations that exceed the system’s capabilities.
Ford has yet to respond to a request for comments from Reuters.
Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal and Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D’Souza and Eileen Soreng
Advertisements below
