Ford Mach-E using BlueCruise hits stopped SUV on I-10 in San Antonio
A Ford Mustang Mach-E operating hands-free on BlueCruise struck a Honda CR-V stopped in a travel lane of I-10 in San Antonio on February 24, 2024, killing the Honda's driver.
Key facts
- The crash happened at 9:48 p.m. on February 24, 2024, in the eastbound center lane of Interstate 10 near the Woodlake Parkway exit in San Antonio.
- System data showed the Ford was traveling 74.7 mph in a 70 mph zone with BlueCruise engaged, and no braking or steering by the driver or the system was recorded before impact.
- The driver of the stationary 1999 Honda CR-V died; the Ford's driver had minor injuries.
- The NTSB found the probable cause was the Ford driver's failure to respond to the stopped vehicle due to distraction, likely from the in-vehicle navigation system.
- The NTSB cited as a contributing factor that the Ford's partial automation system, including automatic emergency braking, could not detect and respond to the stationary vehicle.
What happened
At 9:48 p.m. on February 24, 2024, a 2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E was traveling east in the center lane of Interstate 10 near the Woodlake Parkway exit in San Antonio, Texas, with Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free system engaged. A 1999 Honda CR-V was stationary in the same lane. A Chevrolet Cruze ahead of the Ford changed lanes to the right just before the crash to avoid the Honda.
The Ford struck the rear of the Honda at 74.7 mph, according to system data cited by the NTSB. The posted limit was 70 mph. Neither the driver nor the vehicle’s systems braked or steered before impact. The Honda rotated, overturned onto its roof and came to rest on the left shoulder; the Ford stopped on the right shoulder.
The Honda’s driver died. The Ford’s driver had minor injuries.
The system involved
BlueCruise is Ford’s hands-free partial driving automation system. The NTSB treats it as an SAE Level 2 system, meaning the driver must keep supervising the road and remains responsible for the vehicle even when the system is steering, braking and accelerating. The Mach-E was also equipped with automatic emergency braking and a driver monitoring system, both of which the NTSB addressed in its recommendations to Ford.
Investigation and response
The NTSB investigated the crash (HWY24FH006) alongside a second fatal BlueCruise crash in Philadelphia and adopted report HIR-26-02 after a board meeting on March 31, 2026. For San Antonio, it determined the probable cause was the Ford driver’s failure to respond to the stationary vehicle ahead because of distraction, likely from the in-vehicle navigation system, resulting from overreliance on the partial automation system and disengagement from the driving task. Contributing factors were the inability of the Ford’s partial automation system, including its automatic emergency braking, to detect and respond to the stopped vehicle, and the Honda being stopped in a travel lane, possibly because of its driver’s impairment.
The board recommended that the US Department of Transportation issue comprehensive guidelines for partial automation systems, and that NHTSA require driver monitoring systems, recording of automation engagement data and telematic crash notification on new Level 2 vehicles. It recommended that Ford revise its driver monitoring to better address distraction and modify BlueCruise in new vehicles to require automatic emergency braking to be engaged and to limit excessive speeding.
What is not established
The NTSB could not determine why the Honda was stopped in the center lane, according to Repairer Driven News.
Outcomes
- The NTSB considered the crash, together with a second fatal BlueCruise crash in Philadelphia, at a board meeting on March 31, 2026, and issued report HIR-26-02.
- The NTSB recommended that Ford revise its driver monitoring and require automatic emergency braking to be engaged when BlueCruise is in use.
- The NTSB recommended that NHTSA require driver monitoring systems, automation data recording and crash notification for new Level 2 vehicles.