Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced Monday it has launched a probe into 129,222 Ford vehicles equipped with the automaker’s BlueCruise hands-free driving technology.
The probe follows reports of multiple collisions, including two fatal incidents involving the EV model Mustang Mach-E. Both incidents occurred at highway speeds exceeding 70 mph during nighttime conditions.
The investigation originated from a preliminary evaluation launched in April 2024.
In each case, the BlueCruise system was active, and the drivers failed to apply brakes or take evasive action before impact with stationary vehicles, according to data retrieved from event recorders.
Ford introduced BlueCruise in 2021, a system that uses a camera-based driver monitoring system to assess driver attentiveness. NHTSA’s probe is investigation potential limitations in the system’s ability to detect objects at high speeds, particularly under low visibility conditions.
The scope of the investigation encompasses Ford Mustang Mach-E models from 2021 to 2024, along with a review of Ford’s related driver-assistance technologies, such as Lane Centering Assist.
The NHTSA identified 32 crashes and over 2,000 non-crash reports involving BlueCruise and similar systems. Among the crashes, four involved frontal collisions with stationary vehicles or objects in travel lanes.
In November, the automaker agreed to a $165 million civil penalty—NHTSA’s second-largest on record—for delays in recalling vehicles with defective rearview cameras and for incomplete recall disclosures.
Ford CEO Jim Farley said recently the company plans to radically overhaul its vehicle software strategy to switch to a vertically integrated approach, citing challenges of the current fragmented supplier network.
Farley said the company has outsourced the development of about 150 control modules in its vehicles to various suppliers, including Bosch and others. However, the result is a patchwork of software systems that do not communicate seamlessly, according to the chief executive.
In early December, the carmaker unveiled its new fully electric Puma Gen-E, with orders now open and deliveries set to begin this spring.
The Puma Gen-E will be built at Ford’s Craiova, Romania, factory, alongside the E-Transit Courier and ICE Puma models.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
