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Federal probe into self-driving tech expands after Austin man’s death
A 2024 fatal crash in San Antonio helped trigger the investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It’s now examining the self-driving technologies of 11 automakers.
Published June 27, 2025 at 11:00am

A federal investigation of a crash that killed an Austin man has expanded into a nationwide examination of autonomous driving systems installed on millions of vehicles.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration now is looking at the self-driving technologies 11 automakers installed on vehicles built in the past five years. The probe began last year with a focus on Ford Motor Co.’s BlueCruise “hands-free highway driving” system after a series of four crashes involving Mustang Mach-Es — including the fatal wreck in Texas in 2024.
Last week, the agency requested more details from the Dearborn, Mich., carmaker about its BlueCruise and similar systems installed on more than 2.5 million Ford and Lincoln autos built in the past five years. It’s also seeking information from other manufacturers that have installed similar “partial driving automation systems” in their vehicles, including Austin-based Tesla Inc. and Toyota Motor Corp.
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The expanding inquiry comes as more fully self-driving cars are showing up on streets across the country — including this week’s limited test of driverless Tesla robotaxis in Austin.
Separately, the National Transportation Safety Board this week released its report on the wreck involving a Mustang Mach-E that slammed into a stopped vehicle on Interstate 10 in San Antonio, killing 56-year-old Jeffrey Allen Johnson of Austin.
System limitations
The NHTSA launched its inquiry last summer after the San Antonio crash and another in March 2024 also involving a Mach-E in Philadelphia that left two people dead. In January, it upgraded the investigation into an “engineering analysis.”
It said the Mustangs’ BlueCruise was engaged at the time of both wrecks and cited “system limitations relating to the detection of stationary vehicles while traveling at highway speeds and in nighttime conditions.”
BlueCruise allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel while the system handles steering, braking and acceleration on highways. Ford says the system isn’t fully autonomous and that it monitors drivers to make sure they’re paying attention to the road.
Both of the fatal crashes involved Mustangs traveling at speeds over 70 mph ramming into stopped vehicles without BlueCruise applying the brakes.
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The agency contends the system failed to “avoid or mitigate a crash with a vehicle or object in front of the subject vehicle” under certain conditions. It wants to further investigate “system limitations of BlueCruise and to evaluate drivers’ ability to respond to scenarios that exceed the system’s limitations,” it said in a June 18 letter to Ford.
Ford must respond to 25 questions about its vehicles with self-driving technologies, system specifications, complaints received, crash reports and other details by Aug. 6.
It sent similar letters seeking information on the self-driving technology used by 10 other car companies: In addition to Tesla and Toyota, the NHTSA wants information from Fiat Chrysler, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Subaru and Volkswagen. Their responses are due July 9.
Crash that killed Austin man
A San Antonio Police Department report from the February 2024 crash says it occurred as Wesley Zielicke, 44, of Houston, was driving a Mach-E east on I-10 about 9:50 p.m.
He was traveling about 75 mph near the intersection with Foster Road when his electric vehicle slammed into the rear of Johnson’s Honda CR-V, which was stopped in the middle lane with no lights on. The impact flipped Johnson’s vehicle.
The Austin man died from his injuries at Brooke Army Medical Center. Zielicke suffered minor injuries, the report said.
“I saw a black thing, and that’s about all,” Zielicke told investigators.
He was not charged but retained an attorney after being questioned by police. He declined further interviews, according to the NTSB.
“As a result, no information was obtained regarding his sleep history and experience with using BlueCruise,” it said.
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The NTSB’s newly released information doesn’t offer reasons for the crash but includes new details turned up by the investigation.
According to a medical report, Johnson died of head injuries.
Brenda Moreno, of Converse, was driving ahead of the Mach-E that night. She told investigators she had to swerve to avoid Johnson’s vehicle stopped on the highway.
“I’m like, thank God that I didn’t hit him, and then when I looked back, someone else hit him,” she said. “I was able to see the sparks of the other vehicle and the truck went up and just started flipping.”
The NTSB can only make recommendations through its investigations, although it hasn’t done so in the San Antonio case. However, the NHTSA has the authority to take action — including seeking recalls for safety issues.
Tesla probe
The NHTSA also is investigating Tesla’s robotaxis after videos from an invitation-only rollout last weekend appeared to show them violating traffic laws and driving erratically on Austin streets.
The federal safety agency already is conducting a separate investigation into Tesla’s vehicles equipped with its Full Self-Driving software, which is available in its vehicles and is the technology used for its autonomous robotaxis. The regulator sent Tesla a letter in May asking for information about the company’s crash reporting, how the robotaxis comply with traffic laws and its automated emergency response. It also asked for information about how the vehicles operate in low-visibility conditions.
Tesla responded by a Friday deadline, the agency said, but asked that its responses be kept confidential, saying public access to information could pose “competitive harm.” The federal regulator granted the confidentiality.