NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation: Collisions Involving Ford BlueCruise in 2021-2024 Ford Mustang Mach E (PE24-012)
Opened April 25, 2024 · Ford Motor Company
NHTSA opened a preliminary evaluation (PE24-012) on April 25, 2024 into collisions involving ford bluecruise in 2021-2024 Ford Mustang Mach E. The investigation is closed on January 17, 2025.
PE24-012 at a glance
| NHTSA action number | PE24-012 |
|---|---|
| Type | Preliminary Evaluation |
| Opened | April 25, 2024 |
| Status | Closed January 17, 2025 |
| Vehicles | 2021-2024 Ford Mustang Mach E |
| Component | Electrical System > Adas |
| Manufacturer | Ford Motor Company |
| Resulting recall | None listed |
What is NHTSA investigating in the Ford Mustang Mach E?
From NHTSA’s investigation summary:
On April 25, 2024, NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE24012) to assess BlueCruise, a partial driving automation system available on certain vehicles manufactured by Ford Motor Company (Ford).
NHTSA opened the investigation after the agency received notice of two fatal collisions involving BlueCruise-equipped Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles.
Based on the incidents, NHTSA scoped the investigation to 2021-2024 Mustang Mach-E vehicles equipped with BlueCruise.
In June 2024, ODI sent an Information Request (IR) letter to Ford requiring that it provide certain information pertaining to crashes, non-crash reports, and technical specifications that relate to BlueCruise, as well as other Ford partial driving automation systems that offer lane and speed maintenance.
In its response to ODI's IR, Ford stated that there are 2,539,962 Ford and Lincoln vehicles (including subject and peer vehicles) equipped with a partial driving automation system within the scope of the request.
The majority of these vehicles are equipped with a system that Ford calls Lane Centering Assist (LCA), which is a hands-on partial driving automation system that combines longitudinal control authority governed by Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and lateral control authority governed by a steerable path.
LCA is offered on a wide range of Ford and Lincoln models beginning in model year 2019.
Vehicles that are equipped with BlueCruise, the focus of this investigation, have LCA capability and additionally offer hands-free partial driving automation when certain conditions are met.
Hands-free BlueCruise operation is only offered on certain roadways and system availability is geofenced using vehicle GPS.
BlueCruise-equipped vehicles employ a camera-based driver monitoring system to determine driver attentiveness to the roadway.
BlueCruise was introduced in model year 2021 and is currently available in a select range of Ford and Lincoln vehicles.
For BlueCruise- and LCA-equipped vehicles, both ACC and Pre-Collision Assist (PCA) features use a combination of camera and radar sensing technologies to detect and classify objects.
ACC is specifically designed to detect vehicles (including cars, trucks, and motorcycles) and bicycles in front of the subject vehicle which are either stationary or moving in the same direction as the subject vehicle.
Through this investigation, limitations in the detection of stationary vehicles in certain conditions have been identified.
Specifically, due to the potential for false detection of stationary objects at long distances, Ford designed ACC to inhibit any response to reported stationary objects when the subject vehicle's approach speed is at or above 62 mph.
Additionally, system performance may be limited when there is poor visibility due to insufficient illumination.
In addition to reviewing Ford's response to ODI's IR, the agency conducted a review of crash and non-crash reports identified collectively through Ford's IR response, incident reporting through Standing General Order 2021-01 (SGO), and NHTSA vehicle owner questionnaires.
In total, 32 crashes and 2,004 non-crash reports on subject and peer Ford vehicles were identified across manufacturer and ODI data sources.
A detailed analysis of each crash was conducted including the review of any available police reports, photographs, data recovered from in-vehicle event data recorders, connected vehicle data, and/or other information.
In both fatal collisions referenced in the PE24012 opening resume, the subject Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicle was traveling over 70 mph on a controlled-access highway during nighttime lighting conditions with hands-free BlueCruise engaged when it collided with a stationary vehicle.
Analysis of data imaged from the vehicles' event data recorders demonstrates that in each incident, the driver did not apply the brakes or take evasive steering action, and no deceleration was initiated by either the BlueCruise system or PCA prior to impact.
Through the agency's crash analysis, four additional frontal collisions were identified where the subject Ford impacted a stopped or slow-moving lead vehicle or another stationary object located in the travel lane.
Two of these four incidents involved BlueCruise-equipped Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles (included in the failure report summary along with the fatal collisions discussed above), while the other two involved other Ford models equipped with the LCA system.
Additionally, a trend was identified through analysis of the non-crash reports relating to allegations that ACC (the longitudinal component of both BlueCruise and LCA) failed to detect and/or respond to a stopped or slow-moving lead vehicle.
In these reports, consumers often describe that the absence of deceleration initiated by ACC was unexpected and required harsh manual braking or intervention from the PCA to avoid a frontal collision with the lead vehicle.
Based on NHTSA's analysis, system limitations relating to the detection of stationary vehicles while traveling at highway speeds and in nighttime lighting conditions appear to be factors in collisions under investigation and several apparently similar near-miss, non-crash reports.
This Preliminary Evaluation is being upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA25001) to further investigate these system limitations and to evaluate drivers' ability to respond to scenarios that exceed system limitations.
During the EA, the agency expects to, among other things, perform vehicle evaluations, review additional technical information, and perform additional analysis of related crashes and non-crash reports.
The crashes included in the failure report summary can be found at NHTSA.gov under the following SGO report identification numbers: 502-7268, 502-7426, 502-6852, 502-8738.
What is a preliminary evaluation?
Preliminary Evaluation is the first stage of a federal defect investigation. NHTSA reviews complaints, crash reports and manufacturer data to decide whether a safety defect may exist. It can close with no action, be upgraded to an engineering analysis, or end with a recall.
Did this investigation lead to a recall?
NHTSA closed this investigation on January 17, 2025 without listing a recall. That can mean NHTSA did not find a safety defect it could prove, or that the manufacturer addressed the issue another way. A closed investigation does not mean owners have no lemon law claim if the problem keeps happening.
Which vehicles are part of this investigation?
| Model years | Make | Model |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-2024 | Ford | Mustang Mach E |
What are Ford Mustang Mach E owners reporting to NHTSA?
NHTSA’s public database lists 652 owner complaints filed since 2020 for the vehicles in this investigation (all components). Complaints are unverified owner reports.
What should owners do?
- Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls for any open recall on your vehicle.
- If you have the problem NHTSA is investigating, take the vehicle to a dealer now and get a repair order, even if the dealer cannot find anything.
- Keep a log of every time the problem happens: date, mileage and what happened. Photos and videos help.
- File your own complaint at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem. Owner complaints are what start and expand investigations.
- If the problem keeps coming back, talk to a lemon law attorney.
Recalls on the same vehicles
- 2023-2025 Ford Mustang Mach E Electrical Management System Software Recall (26V582)
- 2023-2025 Ford Mustang Mach E Exterior Trim Recall (26V487)
- 2021-2023 Ford Mustang Mach E Differential Recall (26V417)
- 2025-2026 Ford Mustang Mach E Lighting Control Module Recall (25V885)
- 2022-2026 Ford F-150 Lightning Bev Park Pawl Recall (25V863)
- 2021 Ford Mustang Mach E Antilock Brake Control Module Recall (25V513)
- 2025 Lincoln Nautilus Lighting Control Module Recall (25V519)
- 2022 Ford Mustang Mach E Electrical Management System Recall (25V441)
- 2025 Ford Mustang Mach E Park Pawl Recall (25V394)
- 2021-2025 Ford Mustang Mach E Body Control Module Software Recall (25V404)
Can a recall or defect investigation make my car a lemon in California?
Not by itself. What matters is whether a covered defect keeps coming back or keeps your vehicle at the dealer, and a federal investigation or recall is strong evidence that the problem is real.
Under California’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, a manufacturer that cannot fix a warranty defect that substantially impairs a vehicle’s use, value or safety within a reasonable number of attempts may have to repurchase or replace it (Civ. Code 1793.2(d)). Within the first 18 months or 18,000 miles, the law presumes a reasonable number of attempts after two repairs of a defect likely to cause death or serious injury, four repairs of the same defect, or more than 30 days out of service (Civ. Code 1793.22(b)).
An owner who prevails can recover reasonable attorney fees and costs from the manufacturer (Civ. Code 1794(d)). You pay nothing, win or lose. We are paid only if you win, and the manufacturer pays our fees, including in settlements. If a case is lost, our firm covers the costs.
In our cases, a recall repair visit counts as a repair attempt, and it's strongest when the owner complained about the problem before the recall came out. A recall shows the defect is real and that enough owners reported it for the manufacturer to issue a fix.
The biggest mistake I see is waiting too long. The mileage offset starts at your first repair visit for the problem, so the sooner you take it in, the better. If the problem comes and goes, take it in when it happens. You can't go back to that date later.
If you get a recall notice, call a lemon law attorney right away. You may have taken the car in for the same problem before and forgotten, or there may be other recalls related to it.
Jacob Shayesteh, Esq. (SBN 362320), Founder and Managing Attorney. Quotes lightly edited for clarity. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Frequently asked questions
Does the recall fixing my car mean I have no case?
Not necessarily. Even if the recall repair fixed it, you may still have a case, and a car that's a year or more old can still qualify.
Do used cars qualify for California lemon law?
We take certified pre-owned, demo and dealer vehicles. Since the California Supreme Court's Rodriguez decision in 2024, ordinary used cars generally do not qualify.
How long does a recall lemon law case take?
Recall-related cases typically resolve in one to three months from your first call. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
What does a lemon law attorney cost?
You pay nothing, win or lose. We are paid only if you win, and the manufacturer pays our fees, including in settlements. If a case is lost, our firm covers the costs.
Sources
- NHTSA investigation, recall and complaint data, accessed October 7, 2026
- California Civil Code 1793.22
Jacob Shayesteh, Esq., Founder and Managing Attorney of America’s Lemon Lawyer (Wynn Law Group, APC). Licensed by the State Bar of California, No. 362320. His practice focuses on California lemon law under the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act.
State Bar of California license record · Avvo · Martindale-Hubbell · Lawyers.com · LinkedIn · Our attorneys
Attorney advertising. America’s Lemon Lawyer is a trade name of Wynn Law Group, APC. Responsible attorney: Jacob Shayesteh, Esq. (SBN 362320). This page reports public NHTSA data and is general information, not legal advice. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.