The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has elevated its investigation into Ford Motor’s BlueCruise hands-free driver assistance system to an engineering analysis, a critical step before a potential recall, the agency said this week.
The probe, which began in April, focuses on 129,222 Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles equipped with BlueCruise. The system was active during two fatal crashes where vehicles struck stationary objects, NHTSA noted.
“The investigation will assess BlueCruise’s limitations, including potential issues with detecting stationary vehicles at high speeds and during low-visibility conditions,” the agency said in a statement. It added that initial findings pointed to challenges in recognizing stationary vehicles and the possibility of false detections when traveling at or above 62 mph.
Ford first introduced BlueCruise in 2021 on select Mustang Mach-E and F-150 models. The system combines adaptive cruise control, lane centering, and speed-sign recognition, relying on cameras and radar sensors. Unlike Tesla’s Autopilot, BlueCruise operates exclusively on pre-mapped highways, with driver attentiveness monitored through an in-cabin camera.
A Ford spokesperson stated, “We are working closely with NHTSA to support its investigation and ensure our systems meet safety standards.”
NHTSA’s engineering analysis will involve evaluating the system’s design, analyzing additional crash data, and conducting further technical reviews.
This comes as advanced driver-assistance systems face heightened scrutiny. Last October, NHTSA launched a separate probe into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software after several crashes, including one fatal incident involving a pedestrian.
The findings from both investigations could shape the future development and regulation of autonomous driving technologies.