Ford's BlueCruise with Towing Brings Hands-Free Highway Driving to the 2027 F-150
Ford is adding hands-free highway towing to BlueCruise, debuting on the 2027 F-150 with up to 10,000 pounds of max available towing capacity when properly configured.
- 118 million miles
- 76%
- 10,000 pounds
- 75 mph
What Happened
Ford says its new BlueCruise with Towing capability lets new Ford truck owners tow hands-free on the highway for the first time, launching on the 2027 F-150. The company has refined BlueCruise through customer feedback across nine Ford and Lincoln vehicle lines, with model years dating back to 2021. F-150 customers are its most active BlueCruise users, logging more hands-free miles than any other equipped vehicle: 118 million miles in 2025 alone. Yet 76% of F-150 owners say they use their trucks to tow, which Ford calls a clear gap in the experience. The 2027 F-150 with available BlueCruise with Towing will offer hands-free, eyes-on highway driving with up to 10,000 pounds of max available towing capacity when properly configured, which Ford says is more than other gas-powered pickups in the class.
118 million miles
More than any other BlueCruise-equipped Ford or Lincoln vehicle, according to internal Ford data.
- A unique trailer profile with accurate dimensions for what is being towed must be created before the feature is used.
- BlueCruise monitors for trailer sway and will automatically slow the vehicle, limit speed, or transition to hands-on driving if it detects sway persisting.
- The feature works only on designated sections of controlled-access highways, known as Blue Zones, as with regular BlueCruise.
- Speed is capped at 75 mph while towing; without towing the maximum is 80 mph, and drivers must still confirm the applicable speed limit while towing.
- If the combined vehicle and trailer weight exceeds the allowed weight at any time, or the tire pressure monitoring warning light is or becomes active, the feature will not operate.
- Hands-free lane changes and In-Lane Repositioning are disabled while towing, and the system prompts drivers to put their hands back on the wheel if a construction zone is detected.
Ford's in-house Advanced Driver Assist Systems team developed BlueCruise with Towing, which Ford describes as one of its most complex software developments to date. When towing, trailer weight, how the trailer is loaded, wind resistance, and sway affect steering feel and vehicle dynamics, so the software has to work with the driver to manage steering, braking, and acceleration in hands-free mode. Ford logged thousands of real-world testing miles across high elevations, tight curves, and high-wind plains, testing dozens of truck-and-trailer combinations with various weight and load distributions. Simulation testing through Ford's Driving Dynamics Lab expanded the scale of combinations and scenarios far beyond what can be achieved in the real world, which Ford says unlocked greater thoroughness and precision.
- 75 mph
- 80 mph
- Not available while towing; must be made manually
Ford says BlueCruise with Towing should not be reserved for top-tier luxury trims, so every 2027 F-150 that is BlueCruise-equipped will be able to access it rather than it being locked to certain high-end trims. The 2027 F-150 is the launch vehicle, and Ford says it looks forward to expanding the capability to other new vehicle lines in the future. The feature is available on BlueCruise-equipped vehicles for use in a hands-free Blue Zone and requires an active plan or trial, with trailer type, size, and weight limiting its use. BlueCruise remains a driver-assist feature that does not replace safe driving, and a fully alert, attentive driver is always required. Sammy Omari is the Global Head of Advanced Driver Assist Systems and In-Vehicle Infotainment at Ford.
Why this matters
BlueCruise with Towing is Ford's first feature that lets drivers tow hands-free on designated highways, something its most active hands-free users asked for: Ford says 76% of F-150 owners use their trucks to tow. It matters most to truck buyers who tow, and Ford says it is not reserving the capability for high-end trims. Ford also claims the setup offers more hands-free towing capacity than other gas-powered pickups in its class.
Terms in This Story
- BlueCruise
- Ford's hands-free highway driving driver-assist feature, which requires an active plan or trial and a fully attentive driver.
- Blue Zones
- Designated sections of controlled-access highways where BlueCruise hands-free driving is permitted.
- Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS)
- Vehicle technologies that assist a driver with tasks such as steering, braking, lane keeping, and lane changes.
- Trailer sway
- Side-to-side movement of a trailer while it is being towed, which can affect vehicle stability and steering feel.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.