The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating Ford’s BlueCruise. This hands-free driver-assistance system had come under the microscope after two deadly crashes occurred in rapid succession in early 2024. In both incidents, the crashes took place at night, shining a laser focus on the technology’s failure to detect parked cars and other fixed objects. This issue is doubly concerning during low visibility conditions.
Recently, Ford BlueCruise became available as a standard feature in numerous models. You’ll find it in the Ford Explorer, Ford Expedition, Ford F-150 truck and the all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E. This complicated technology allows you to drive hands-free in certain scenarios. By doing so, it promotes a culture of safety and convenience for all road users. With the recent crashes, the NHTSA is now taking a hard look at its true performance in the real world.
For over a year, NHTSA has been aggressively investigating Ford BlueCruise. They’ve asked Ford a long set of detailed questions about what their proposed system would do and how it would work. The investigation is classified as an “information request engineering analysis,” a formal procedure aimed at understanding the technology’s functionality and safety implications. This is the first time we’ve done such an analysis on Ford BlueCruise.
The feasibility of the system’s detection capabilities has become a key issue in the ongoing investigation. NHTSA officials have noted potential “limitations in the detection of stationary vehicles in certain conditions.” They suggested that system performance can be significantly limited in low-visibility conditions owing to a lack of lighting.
“The logic and/or algorithms used in the detection and classification of hazards in front of the vehicle may be limited when there is poor visibility due to insufficient illumination.” – NHTSA
You’d be right—Ford lets customers get BlueCruise as a subscription, charging $495 per year, or $2,495 for a lifetime subscription. The pricing structure supports its mission to democratize access to advanced driver-assistance technologies while profiting from the continued growth of subscription-based recurring revenues.
As these investigations progress, NHTSA will seek to figure out if the design and functional capabilities of Ford BlueCruise are satisfactory enough to ensure safety. This result would be a tremendous victory for Ford and its customers. As automated driving technologies start to comprise on-board system technology vehicles, those stakes continue increasing.
