Federal regulators have opened an investigation into Ford’s partially automated driving system after two fatal crashes.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wrote in recent records that its Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is investigating crashes involving Ford’s BlueCruise – that Ford describe like its “hands-free highway driving technology.” The feature includes hands-free lane change assistance and lane repositioning on select vehicles.
The lawsuit states that ODI received reports of two incidents of Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles that “collided with stopped vehicles” and each resulted in at least one fatality. The lawsuit noted that both collisions occurred at night in “controlled-access highway travel lanes.”
BlueCruise can only be activated while the vehicle is on certain roads and in vehicles where the feature is equipped. Ford states on its website that BlueCruise does not replace drivers, who need to be alert when the feature is activated.
Initial investigations into both incidents found that BlueCruise was hired immediately before the accidents, the documents state. NHTSA said investigators will “evaluate system performance in the dynamic driving task and driver monitoring,” according to the document.
The Associated Press reported that one of the crashes occurred in San Antonio, Texas, killing one person. The other collision happened in March in Philadelphia and resulted in two deaths, according to the AP.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is also investigating the San Antonio incident, according to the AP. A preliminary report shows that BlueCruise was active shortly before the crash on February 24.
The Hill has reached out to Ford for comment.
The Associated Press contributed.
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