By Denny Jacob
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration disclosed it received notice of two incidents involving BlueCruise, Ford Motor's driver-assistance system.
The federal auto-safety regulator said in a filing that the Office of Defects Investigation received notice of incidents involving Ford's Mach-E vehicles that collided with stationary vehicles on highways. Both collisions occurred during nighttime lighting conditions, and each incident resulted in at least one fatality with a total of three between the two, said NHTSA.
The Office of Defects' initial investigation of both incidents confirmed that BlueCruise was engaged in each of the vehicles in question immediately prior to the collision.
A Ford spokesperson didn't immediately respond for comment.
While NHTSA's special crash investigation look at single crashes to learn about unusual events or new technology, a defect probe by the regulator's enforcement arm could lead to a potential safety recall.
The investigation is the latest to involve Ford's advanced-driver assistance technology. In March, NHTSA opened an investigation into a fatal wreck involving a Ford sport-utility vehicle in Texas. A police report at the time said the Ford had "partial automation" engaged at the time of the crash.
Driver-assistance systems have ensnared automakers beyond Ford including General Motors and Tesla. Several automakers including Tesla and Ford received poor grades in a study that reviewed driver-assistance systems, finding little evidence the technology provides safety benefits to motorists.
Write to Denny Jacob at denny.jacob@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
04-29-24 0713ET
