A Mustang Mach-E running Ford’s hands-free software. | Image: Umar Shakir / The Verge
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an official investigation into Ford’s BlueCruise advanced driver-assistance software after it’s been linked to multiple fatalities while in use. It includes two 2024 incidents that the National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating — one in San Antonio and another in Philadelphia.
The NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation notes that the Ford vehicles involved in the fatal crashes hit stationary objects including vehicles stopped in a driving lane on the highway. Ford’s BlueCruise enables hands-free driving on pre-mapped highway roads and uses cameras to both watch drivers and keep its vehicles in the lane. The system was introduced in 2021 in vehicles…
