Federal security regulators have opened an investigation into Ford’s hands-free driver help system, BlueCruise, after it was energetic throughout two latest crashes into stationary automobiles that killed a number of individuals.

The Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Administration’s Workplace of Defects Investigation (ODI) mentioned Monday that it has confirmed BlueCruise was energetic in each crashes. One occurred in February in Texas, and the opposite occurred in early April in Pennsylvania. They’re the first-known fatalities ensuing from crashes involving using BlueCruise.

The investigation into the 2 crashes ratchets up the scrutiny on BlueCruise, which is at present obtainable on the Mustang Mach-E, and sure Ford F-150s (together with the Lightning), Explorers, and Expeditions. The Nationwide Transportation Security Board has already opened an investigation into the Texas crash. Ford didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

The brand new probe comes simply days after ODI closed its most high-profile driver-assistance investigation thus far into Tesla’s Autopilot. The protection company initially opened that probe in 2021 after a number of stories of Teslas crashing into stationary emergency automobiles whereas the drivers have been utilizing Autopilot. In closing the investigation, ODI mentioned final week that it decided a “important security hole between drivers’ expectations of [Autopilot’s] working capabilities and the system’s true capabilities” created “foreseeable misuse and avoidable crashes.”

Ford introduced BlueCruise in 2021. It’s only obtainable on pre-mapped highways, and Ford pairs it with a camera-based driver monitoring system that checks whether or not drivers’ eyes are nonetheless on the highway when the system is energetic. These symbolize a lot tighter constraints on the system than Tesla places on using Autopilot. However whereas it’s highly-rated by some, together with Client Stories, the latest crashes and ensuing investigations counsel there could also be a extra elementary downside with superior driver help programs than a few of these firms are keen to confess.