Ford's 'hands-free' driver-assistance system under investigation
By Claudia Assis
Two crashes involving the automaker's Mustang Mach-E resulted in deaths
U.S. highway-safety regulators have opened an investigation into two accidents allegedly involving Ford Motor Co.'s BlueCruise advanced driver-assistance features, in which two Mustang Mach-Es collided with stationary vehicles in incidents that left three people dead.
Both collisions occurred at night, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a preliminary report dated Friday. Each incident resulted in at least one fatality, and an initial investigation of both incidents confirmed that BlueCruise was engaged before the collision, according to the regulator.
A Ford (F) spokesperson said Monday that the carmaker is working with the NHTSA to support its investigation.
On its website, Ford says that BlueCruise enables "hands-free highway driving" on most interstates, freeways and expressways in the U.S. and Canada. The suite is available on several models.
The investigation comes amid renewed scrutiny of Tesla Inc.'s (TSLA) Autopilot, the EV maker's own advanced driver-assistance system for highway driving.
Regulators last week said they were investigating whether a December recall of 2 million vehicles equipped with Autopilot adequately addressed the issues.
Teslas engaged with Autopilot have allegedly collided with stationary vehicles - including emergency vehicles - on highways, sparking probes.
Shares of Ford were the rare spot of red on stock screens Monday, down 0.5% amid gains for Tesla, General Motors Co. (GM) and other carmakers.
Ford's stock has gained around 4% so far this year, compared with gains of about 7% for the S&P 500 index SPX.
-Claudia Assis
This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
04-29-24 1435ET
Copyright (c) 2024 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.-
How Anti-Obesity Drugs Are Innovating the Healthcare Market
-
What’s Happening In the Markets This Week
-
Why Immigration Has Boosted Job Gains and the Economy
-
What to Invest in During High Inflation
-
Never Mind Market Efficiency: Are the Markets Sensible?
-
Starbucks Stock Could Use a Pick-Me-Up After Big Selloff; Is it a Buy?
-
5 Cheap Stocks to Buy From an Attractive Part of the Market
-
Markets Brief: All Eyes On Inflation
-
After Earnings, Is Lyft Stock a Buy, a Sell, or Fairly Valued?
-
8 Stock Picks in the Apparel Industry
-
Baidu Earnings: Advertising Weakness Offset by Continued Growth In Cloud Business
-
Going Into Earnings, Is Target Stock a Buy, a Sell, or Fairly Valued?
-
Walmart Earnings: Low Prices and Strong Digital Presence Drive Market Share Gains
-
After Earnings and a Big Selloff, Is Shopify Stock a Buy, a Sell, or Fairly Valued?
-
Cisco Earnings: Positive Guidance and Splunk Inclusion Align With Our Long-Term Thesis
-
3 Warren Buffett Stocks to Buy After Berkshire Hathaway’s Just-Released 13F Filing