By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Wednesday it was opening an investigation into a March 3 fatal crash between a Ford Mustang Mach-E and two stationary cars on the I-95 interstate highway in Philadelphia.
In March, the NTSB said it was investigating the use of an advanced driver assistance system in a Ford Mustang Mach-E that was involved in a Feb. 24 fatal crash in San Antonio, Texas in which the Mach-E struck rear of a Honda CR-V that was stationary in a traffic lane on Interstate Highway 10.
Ford offers BlueCruise, an advanced hands-free driving system that operates on 97% of U.S. and Canadian highways with no intersections or traffic signals.
The NTSB said it is investigating in coordination with the Pennsylvania State Police, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ford said Wednesday it was recently made aware of this incident by the NTSB and has informed the National Highway Transportation Safety Association (NHTSA) as required.
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NHTSA requires automakers to report all fatal crashes involving advanced driver assistance systems.
“We are researching the events of March 3 and collaborating fully with both agencies to understand the facts,” Ford said.
NHTSA did not immediately comment.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported the crash closed the busy section of I-95 for several hours after the fatal accident.
The NTSB has opened several investigations in recent years into advanced driver assistance systems including Tesla’s Autopilot.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler and David Gregorio)