NTSB Report Shows BlueCruise Was In Use During Fatal Mustang Mach-E Crash

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board have found that Ford’s hands-free driving technology, BlueCruise, was active during a fatal Ford Mustang Mach-E crash that happened earlier this year in San Antonio, Texas. The collision occurred on February 24 at 9:40 PM local time. A 2022 Mustang Mach-E traveling down Interstate 10 slammed into a stationary 1999 Honda CR-V in the center lane. The 44-year-old driver in the Ford sustained minor injuries, but the 56-year-old in the Honda was killed in the accident.

Per the preliminary report, data from the Mach-E shows the driver had been using BlueCruise before the crash occurred, which begs the question of how the crash happened.

Several Potential Causes

The first issue is it’s possible the Mustang Mach-E driver was not paying attention to the road. Secondly, despite the Mustang Mach-E’s numerous safety assists, it was unable to detect the presence of a stationary vehicle in the roadway, which points to these advanced systems having potentially fatal flaws. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found that features like pedestrian detection are less effective at night.

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The NTSB report notes that the stationary CR-V had no visible lighting – emergency signals or otherwise. An unnamed eyewitness, traveling ahead of the Ford in the center lane, noted that she saw the Honda and that neither the taillights nor hazard lights were switched on. She changed lanes to avoid hitting the car before witnessing the Mach-E slamming into the stationary CR-V in her rearview mirror. All of this suggests that there may not be a single cause for the fatal crash.

Second Mustang Mach-E Crash Suggests Cause For Concern

Aside from the February crash, the NTSB also confirmed that it has launched an investigation into a fatal three-car collision that occurred in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in early March. In this case, a Mustang Mach-E crashed into a stationary 2012 Hyundai Elantra and 2006 Toyota Prius. Both vehicles were struck from behind by the Ford, resulting in the deaths of two people. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has also launched an investigation into both accidents.

These Mustang Mach-E crashes are significant. BlueCruise is rated higher than rivals, including Tesla’s FSD and GM’s Supercruise, and a flaw in Ford’s market-leading system could be catastrophic for the future of self-driving tech. We must wait for more details from the NTSB and NHTSA before we can cast judgment, but yet another semi-autonomous driving scandal may spell trouble for the self-driving sector. CarBuzz has reached out to Ford for comment and will update this article once we receive a response.