The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a preliminary probe into Ford’s BlueCruise driver-assist software following reports of two accidents that occurred while the system was in use. The NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received two complaints of accidents from drivers of the Mustang Mach-E, both of which confirmed that the BlueCruise system had been engaged at the time of the collision. The accidents took place during nighttime lighting conditions, and each incident resulted in at least one fatality. The Mach-E vehicles in both incidents were equipped with the Co-Pilot360 Active 2.0 suite and BlueCruise, which offer semi-automation features such as speed and lane maintenance.
The NHTSA will decide whether to move forward with the probe and potentially send a recall request to Ford or close the investigation after the initial investigation. A Ford spokesperson stated in an email to *Teslarati* that, “We are working with NHTSA to support its investigation,” reaffirming Ford’s commitment to safety and cooperation with any resulting investigations. BlueCruise is considered a Level 2 automated system, requiring full driver monitoring at all times. In light of this, the safety of the BlueCruise system and the incidents involving the Mustang Mach-E vehicles warrants thorough investigation by the NHTSA to ensure the safety and reliability of driver-assist software.