2024 Ford F-150 Hybrid

While driving on a controlled-access highway, BlueCruise Hands-Free was active. The Adaptive Cruise Control was set to 65 MPH and the vehicle’s recognized speed limit was 65 MPH. My foot was not on the accelerator. The vehicle unexpectedly accelerated beyond the 65 MPH set speed. The vehicle continued accelerating on its own and subsequently reached approximately 82 MPH. At approximately 82 MPH, the instrument cluster showed the cruise setting at approximately 85 MPH while the detected speed limit remained 65 MPH. I did not intentionally increase the cruise set speed to 85 MPH. The vehicle was operating in Hands-Free BlueCruise during the event. The system subsequently displayed “Keep hands on steering wheel.” I have the video documenting the instrument-cluster displays during the event. This created a serious safety hazard because the vehicle accelerated approximately 17 MPH above the posted/detected 65 MPH speed limit without intentional accelerator input or intentional increase of the cruise setting. This situation happened at least 3 more times before I completely disengaged the hand free feature due to safety concerns.

Following an over-the-air (OTA) software update installed to my vehicle on Wednesday, all digital controls on the steering column/steering wheel console became completely non-functional by Thursday morning. Specifically affected systems include: Turn signal / blinker controls Windshield wiper controls and washer fluid activation Steering wheel-mounted media, phone, and instrument cluster dash navigation buttons A subsequent OTA update installed today did not resolve the issue. The inability to signal lane changes or turns and the complete loss of wiper and windshield cleaning controls create an immediate safety hazard, severely degrading vehicle visibility and signaling capabilities in active traffic. There were no prior warning indicators or messages preceding this failure. The vehicle was brought to an authorized dealership to schedule diagnosis and repair, but their earliest service opening is September 30th. While booking the appointment, the service advisor noted that other vehicles have recently experienced component and module failures following recent OTA software updates (specifically citing a customer whose vehicle cameras completely failed after an update). The vehicle remains available for inspection upon request.

The contact owns a 2024 Ford F-150 Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated to 85 MPH. The contact continuously depressed the brake pedal until the vehicle decelerated. The contact stated that the failure recurred after releasing the brake pedal, which required the contact to continuously depress the brake pedal until the vehicle decelerated. The message "Brake Reduction" was displayed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The contact stated that upon turning off and restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated as intended. Additionally, the contact stated that the interior eye-tracking camera had failed to register the driver's presence in the vehicle intermittently, causing the vehicle to slam on the brakes while driving 70 MPH. The contact stated that the Lane Keeping System (LKS) occasionally prompted the driver to keep hands on the steering wheel while the driver's hand were already on the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed; however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 80.

The contact rented a 2024 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the vehicle independently accelerated. The contact stated that the brakes failed to respond as needed. The contact was able to steer the vehicle and ended up in a neighbor's driveway. The contact was then able to shift into the park gear. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact informed the Enterprise Rental Car where the vehicle was rented of the failure. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and filed a complaint. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 25,000.