Ford’s BlueCruise Under Investigation Amid Growing Concerns Over Automated Driving Technology: Analysis of Safety Measures in Hands-Free Driving Systems

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched a preliminary investigation into Ford Motor Company’s hands-free driving technology known as BlueCruise. This probe was initiated after two Mustang Mach-E cars collided with stationary vehicles, resulting in at least one fatality each. Both accidents occurred in nighttime lighting conditions, prompting the NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation to look into the performance of the BlueCruise system during the dynamic driving task and driver monitoring.

Ford Motor has not yet issued a statement regarding the investigation. Meanwhile, the NHTSA has also opened an investigation into Tesla’s recall of over 2 million vehicles announced in December to add new Autopilot safeguards. This investigation covers various Tesla models in the U.S. equipped with Autopilot technology produced between 2012 and 2024. The NHTSA’s concerns arose from crash events following the software update and preliminary tests on remedied vehicles.

As a result of these investigations, shares of Ford Motor were up 0.39% in premarket trading on Monday. Both Ford and Tesla are under scrutiny regarding their automated driving technologies, highlighting the importance of thorough safety evaluations in the development of these systems.