NTSB Finds Automation Overreliance Contributed to Two Fatal Ford BlueCruise Crashes

3/31/2026

​​​Agency recommends improved safe use and oversight of partial automation systems

WASHINGTON (March 31, 2026) – The National Transportation Safety Board called for standardized performance requirements and greater oversight to improve the safety of automated vehicle technology.

The NTSB investigated two fatal 2024 crashes in which vehicles using Ford Motor Company’s hands-free partial automation system, BlueCruise, failed to stop for stationary vehicles. In a public meeting Tuesday to consider the investigations, the NTSB concluded that the drivers’ overreliance on the automated system contributed to both crashes.

In a Feb. 24, 2024, crash in San Antonio, a Ford traveling east in the center lane of Interstate 10 struck a stationary 1999 Honda CR-V. The Honda driver was killed, and the Ford driver sustained minor injuries. In a March 3, 2024, crash in Philadelphia, a Ford traveling north in the left lane of Interstate 95 struck two stationary vehicles—a 2012 Hyundai Elantra and a 2006 Toyota Prius—causing them to collide with a passing Toyota Corolla. The drivers of the Prius and Elantra were killed. The Ford driver sustained minor injuries, and the Corolla driver was uninjured. In both crashes, no driver-applied or system-initiated braking or steering was recorded in the moments before impact.

​ ​​Side-view illustration of the likely maximum engagement of the Ford (right) and Honda (left) during the Feb. 24, 2024 San Antonio crash.

​​Overhead illustration of the likely maximum engagement of the Ford (right) and Elantra (left) during the March 3, 2024 Philadelphia crash. (Source: NTSB)

“This investigation highlights the urgent need for stronger safety standards and better oversight of automated driving systems,” said NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy. “Manufacturers and federal regulators must ensure these technologies are designed, monitored and implemented in ways that keep all our road users safe. We cannot take a ‘hands off’ approach to hands-free driving technology. Lives depend on it.”

The NTSB found several gaps in safety and oversight of partial automation systems. There are no federal requirements for these systems to record data during crashes, which often means that manufacturers lack the needed information to comply with NHTSA’s standing general order requiring them to report crashes involving this technology. Without manufacturer awareness and consistent data, critical information about these crashes remains inaccessible to regulators, investigators, law enforcement and safety groups.

The driver monitoring systems were also found to be ineffective at detecting driver distraction or disengagement. The system allowed off-road glances to go unnoticed and failed to distinguish between attention to the road and attention to objects blocking visibility of the forward roadway, such as cell phones.

The investigation also noted problems in Ford’s BlueCruise implementation and a general lack of federal guidance and standards for these types of automation systems, referred to as Level 2. Due to the lack of federal performance standards, drivers can disengage Ford’s automatic emergency braking system when using hands-free BlueCruise. Drivers can also configure the intelligent adaptive cruise control up to 20 mph above the speed limit, reducing the protective benefits of these speed assist systems and increasing the risk of serious harm in a crash.

The NTSB issued recommendations to the U.S. Department of Transportation, NHTSA and Ford calling for:

• ​stronger federal guidelines and performance standards for safety features of partial automation systems,
• crash data recording and automatic crash notification requirements,
• improved driver monitoring systems to detect distraction, and
• changes to Ford’s BlueCruise system to reduce excessive speeding and improve driver attention. The recommendations, as well as the executive summary ​, probable cause, findings and public docket for the investigations, are available on the San Antonio and Philadelphia investigation webpages. The final report will be published on the NTSB’s website in several weeks.

To report an incident/accident or if you are a public safety agency, please call 1-844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290 to speak to a Watch Officer at the NTSB Response Operations Center (ROC) in Washington, DC (24/7).