Waymo Recall of 3,900 Robotaxis
Waymo, the self‑driving unit of Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ: GOOGL), has filed a recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for nearly 3,900 robotaxis operating in the United States. The recall is triggered by a software flaw that can cause the autonomous vehicles to fail to recognize closed freeway construction zones and continue driving into those zones.
The recall follows more than a dozen reported incidents that began in early April in California and Arizona. In each case, the Waymo vehicles did not detect ramp‑closure signage and proceeded past the signs into pre‑planned freeway construction zones and lanes where active construction work was underway.
In response, Waymo temporarily restricted its fleet from freeway driving while it developed enhanced awareness and response systems for freeway closures. The company has now updated the vehicle software to prevent autonomous cars from entering any construction zones.
This is the second recall by Waymo in just over a month. The previous recall, issued last month, involved approximately 3,800 robotaxis that were found to enter flooded roads where speed limits were higher than the vehicles were programmed for.
Key figures
- Robots recalled in current action: ~3,900
- Prior recall (flooded‑road issue): ~3,800
- Incidents prompting current recall: >12
- Affected states: California, Arizona
Regulatory action
- Recall filed with NHTSA; Waymo is required to implement the software fix and monitor compliance.
Operational impact
- Freeway driving was temporarily halted until the software upgrade was deployed across the fleet.