FORD’S BLUECRUISE PROBED BY REGULATORS AFTER FATAL CRASHES

(Bloomberg) -- US auto safety regulators are investigating Ford Motor Co.’s BlueCruise driver-assistance feature after a pair of fatal crashes involving the technology.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defect Investigation opened the preliminary evaluation after it received notice of two battery-electric Mustang Mach-E SUVs that collided with stationary vehicles.

Initial inquiries by the agency confirmed that BlueCruise was engaged at the time of the collisions. Both incidents occurred on highways during “nighttime lighting conditions,” according to NHTSA.

The probe covers an estimated 130,050 Mach-E vehicles from the 2021 through 2024 model years, according to documents posted Monday on its website.

Ford said it is working with NHTSA to support the investigation. The company advertises cars equipped with its BlueCruise system as being capable of “hands-free highway driving” on its website.

The US National Transportation Safety Board has previously said it is investigating the Mach-E crashes. Other advanced driver-assistance systems that are marketed as being capable of hands-free driving such as Tesla Inc.’s Autopilot features have also faced scrutiny from both agencies and other federal regulators.

The first crash that led to the BlueCruise investigation occurred in February in Texas, where a 44-year-old driver operating a 2022 Mustang Mach-E collided into the read of a stationary Honda CR-V, resulting in the death of the Honda driver.

The second fatal crash occurred in March, when a Mustang Mach-E rear-ended a Hyundai Elantra and a Toyota Prius, according to the NTSB. The Prius and Elantra were both stopped in the travel lanes of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia.

(Updates with crash details, other probes from sixth paragraph)