Overview
- The safety board, which met Tuesday, said drivers leaned too much on Ford’s BlueCruise, a hands-free driver aid that still requires human oversight, and the system failed to keep them engaged.
- Investigators said the driver camera missed long inattention, BlueCruise let users turn off automatic emergency braking, and it allowed speeds up to 20 mph above the posted limit.
- In San Antonio on February 24, a Mustang Mach‑E on I‑10 hit a stopped Honda CR‑V and killed its driver, with no braking or swerving by the human or the automation.
- In Philadelphia on March 3, another Mach‑E struck stationary vehicles on I‑95 at about 72 mph in a 45 mph zone, killing two people, and the driver now faces a pending DUI homicide case.
- The NTSB urged Ford, the DOT and NHTSA to set performance rules, improve driver monitoring and require crash‑data logging, while Ford said no BlueCruise quality defects were found and NHTSA will review the findings.