Fatal crashes involving Ford partially automated driving system prompt investigation

Federal regulators have opened an investigation into Ford’s partially automated driving system after two fatal crashes.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wrote in recent filings that its Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is looking into collisions involving Ford’s BlueCruise — which Ford describes as its “hands-free highway driving technology.” The feature includes a hands-free lane change assist and in-lane repositioning in certain vehicles.

The filing states that ODI received reports of two incidents of Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles that “collided with stationary vehicles” and each resulted in at least one fatality. The filing noted that both collisions occurred at night on the “travel lanes of controlled-access highways.”

BlueCruise can only be engaged while the vehicle is on certain roadways and in vehicles where the feature is equipped. Ford states on its website that BlueCruise does not replace drivers, who need to be paying attention when the feature is engaged.

Initial investigations of the two incidents found that BlueCruise was engaged immediately before the crashes, the filings state. NHTSA said the investigators “will evaluate the system’s performance of the dynamic driving task and driver monitoring,” according to the filing.

The Associated Press reported that one of the crashes occurred in San Antonio, Texas, killing one person. The other collision happened in March in Philadelphia, and resulted in two deaths, according to AP.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is also investigating the San Antonio incident, according to AP. A preliminary report shows that BlueCruise was engaged right before the crash on Feb. 24.

The Hill has reached out to Ford for comment.

The Associated Press contributed.