Ford BlueCruise gets NHTSA probe after a pair of deaths

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating an electric car maker whose self-driving software was involved in a pair of fatal collisions. It's not Tesla this time, instead it's Ford's turn in the hot seat.

The carmaker's self-driving software, BlueCruise, has been named as the subject of an NHTSA investigation involving a pair of fatal crashes in Texas and Pennsylvania. In both cases, Ford Mustang Mach-E electric vehicles struck stationary vehicles, similar to the incidents that triggered a multi-year NHTSA investigation into Tesla's Autopilot. 

"Initial investigation of both incidents confirmed that BlueCruise was engaged in each of the subject vehicles immediately prior to the collision," the NHTSA said in its preliminary investigation notice. That being the case, the investigation will focus on BlueCruise-equipped Mustang Mach-Es manufactured since 2021. 

The BlueCruise software, similar to Tesla's Autopilot, is a self-driving product able to keep ...