Dive Brief:
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Office of Defects Investigation has opened a safety probe of Ford Motor Co.’s BlueCruise automated driving feature after the agency received notice of two fatal collisions last year involving Mustang Mach-E vehicles.
- In both of the accidents, a Mustang Mach-E collided with a stationary vehicle while traveling over 70 mph on a “controlled-access highway” at night with BlueCruise engaged. Analysis of data from the vehicles found that neither the driver or BlueCruise system applied the vehicle’s brakes prior to impact, according to the NHTSA.
- Following the two accidents, the ODI sent Ford an information request letter requiring it to provide specific details pertaining to crashes, non-crash reports, and technical specifications related to BlueCruise, as well as its other advanced driver assist systems that offer lane keep assist and speed monitoring.
Dive Insight:
Like most advanced driver assist systems and automated driving features on the market, Ford’s BlueCruise uses a combination of cameras and radar to detect and classify objects, such as other vehicles. Automated cruise control and automatic emergency braking systems, for example, use radar to calculate the distance from other vehicles ahead.
However, the NHTSA’s preliminary investigation of Ford’s BlueCruise launched in April 2024 found the potential for the false detection of stationary objects at longer distances. Ford designed its ACC feature to inhibit responses when a vehicle’s speed is at or above 62 mph, according to the agency. Additionally, the initial probe found the system to be less effective in low-light conditions.
The NHTSA’s preliminary investigation also identified four additional frontal collisions where a Ford vehicle struck a stopped or slow-moving lead vehicle or another stationary object in a travel lane, according to the report. Two of these incidents involved Mach-E vehicles equipped with BlueCruise. Through its analysis, the NHTSA determined that the performance of Ford’s safety systems was to blame for the crashes.
“System limitations relating to the detection of stationary vehicles while traveling at highway speeds and in nighttime lighting conditions appear to be factors in collisions under investigation and several apparently similar near-miss, non-crash reports,” the NHTSA wrote in its report.
Ford currently offers BlueCruise on the Mustang Mach E, F-150 and F-150 Lightning, Explorer and Expedition, with plans to offer it on additional models. However, the current NHTSA safety probe is focused only on the Mach E.
Ford introduced BlueCruise in 2021. The feature is similar to General Motors’ automated driving feature Super Cruise. Both can only be used on certain pre-mapped highways in the U.S. BlueCruise currently works on over 130,000 miles of roads in North America, according to Ford.
