The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the U.S. has reported that it has initiated an investigation into 129,222 Ford vehicles due to issues with autonomous driving technology.
The NHTSA announced this Monday that the investigation comes in the wake of fatal collisions involving Ford Mustang Mach-E models equipped with the BlueCruise system.
The system operates with adaptive cruise control, stop & go, and lane-keeping assistance with trajectory correction, while simultaneously monitoring road markings, speed limit signs, and traffic conditions. It is used on 97% of highways in the U.S. and Canada that do not have intersections or traffic lights.
In Europe, the BlueCruise system is available in 15 countries and is used by the Mustang Mach-E, the only model from the American brand with autonomous driving system at level 2, which requires the driver to remain attentive and ready to take immediate control of the vehicle when necessary.
The latest version of the BlueCruise system in Europe can be used on approximately 133,000 European highways, known as Blue Zones.