FORD Explorer Incident

On March [XXX], 2026, at approximately 7:42 AM, an incident occurred involving a Ford Explorer traveling southbound in a heavily wooded area on [XXX] near Dodge City, south of exit [XXX]. The driver reported that a deer entered the roadway from the oncoming lane, having jumped a fence, and subsequently ran in front of the vehicle. At the time of the incident, the vehicle's BlueCruise system was engaged. The driver reported the vehicle impacted with the deer on the left front corner of the vehicle. This impact resulted in the deployment of the knee airbag and damage to the headlamp. There were no reported injuries. Ford has confirmed that the Explorer is equipped with Co-Pilot 360 Active 2.0 including BlueCruise. Telemetry data confirms L2 engagement at the time of the collision.