The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is intensifying its investigation into Ford Motor Co.’s hands-free technology known as BlueCruise, following two tragic accidents involving all-electric Mustang Mach-E vehicles where this technology was operational.

This week, regulators announced that they are escalating the investigation to “engineering analysis,” a necessary step for any potential recall directive. This analysis will examine approximately 129,222 vehicles from the 2021 to 2024 model years, as detailed by NHTSA.

During the analysis, NHTSA will focus on understanding the limits of Ford’s system and will assess how well drivers can respond when faced with situations beyond these limits. They will examine cars equipped with BlueCruise, review additional technical details, and analyze both crash and non-crash reports related to the incidents, as mentioned in official documents.

Ford’s spokesperson, Amy Mast, communicated with the Free Press, stating, “We are cooperating with NHTSA to assist with its investigation.”

The BlueCruise system utilizes a camera-based monitoring technique to assess driver attention. It can be used on 97% of highways in the U.S. and Canada that do not have intersections or traffic signals. Ford rolled out this technology in the 2021 model year for certain Ford and Lincoln vehicles.

Investigation initiated last year

NHTSA opened its investigation into BlueCruise in April 2024 following reports of two fatal incidents with Mach-E vehicles that were utilizing the system. Based on these accidents, the investigation encompasses Mach-E vehicles from the 2021-2024 production years outfitted with BlueCruise.

A report from Reuters indicated that in February, a driver using BlueCruise in San Antonio caused a collision by rear-ending a stationary Honda CR-V, resulting in the death of the Honda driver, age 56. Another fatal incident in March also involved a Mach-E hitting two stationary vehicles in Philadelphia while using BlueCruise, leading to two fatalities.

In June 2024, NHTSA requested information from Ford regarding both crashes, along with non-crash reports and technical data relevant to BlueCruise and other Ford partial automation systems that include lane and speed maintenance features, as stated in an agency announcement.

NHTSA identifies tech limitations

In response to NHTSA’s requests, Ford indicated that there are around 2.5 million Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with partial driving assistance features like Lane Centering Assist, which requires driver engagement, as well as Adaptive Cruise Control.

NHTSA highlighted that vehicles equipped with BlueCruise have lane-centering capabilities and provide hands-free driving, but this is limited to specific road types. The system is geofenced, meaning it operates only in certain locations determined by vehicle GPS.

For vehicles featuring BlueCruise and lane-centering assist, both adaptive cruise control and Pre-Collision Assist utilize a mix of camera and radar technologies to detect surroundings, according to NHTSA.

“Adaptive cruise control is designed to identify vehicles (including cars, trucks, and motorcycles) as well as bicycles ahead, whether they are stationary or moving in the same direction,” NHTSA explained in its statement.

Regulators have determined that there are limitations in detecting stationary vehicles under specific circumstances.

“Specifically, due to the risk of inaccurately identifying stationary objects from far away, Ford programmed Adaptive Cruise Control to prevent any response to detected stationary objects when the vehicle is approaching at speeds of 62 mph or higher,” NHTSA noted. “Moreover, system performance can be hindered in situations with poor visibility, like inadequate lighting.”

Additional crashes uncovered

In both fatal incidents, the Mach-E was traveling above 70 mph in BlueCruise mode when it collided with a stationary vehicle at night, as reported by NHTSA. The data from the vehicles’ event data recorders indicated that the drivers did not apply brakes or make evasive maneuvers, and neither the BlueCruise system nor Pre-Collision Assist initiated any deceleration before the crash.

Through crash analysis, NHTSA identified four more frontal collisions where a Ford vehicle collided with a stopped or slow-moving vehicle or other stationary objects. Two of these incidents involved Mustang Mach-Es equipped with BlueCruise.

According to NHTSA’s findings, limitations regarding stationary vehicle detection, especially at highway speeds and in low-light conditions, appear to be contributing factors in the investigated crashes, as well as in several “near-miss, non-crash reports.” The agency stated that it will continue to explore these limitations and how drivers respond to such scenarios.

Jamie L. LaReau is the senior autos writer who covers Ford Motor Co. for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan