Waymo recalls 3,800 robotaxis

Waymo has recalled 3,791 robotaxis after U.S. safety regulators said the company’s software could allow vehicles to slow and then drive into standing water on higher-speed roads. The recall, filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and acknowledged by the agency on May 11, covers Waymo’s fifth- and sixth-generation automated driving systems. The defect matters because NHTSA said entering a flooded roadway can cause a loss of vehicle control and increase the risk of a crash or injury. In its recall acknowledgment letter, the agency said the problem affected 3,791 units and listed the component as autonomous-driving software. April 20 is the key date in the filing. NHTSA said Waymo had already pushed an interim update to all affected vehicles by then, modifying the scope of operations to add weather-related constraints and updating vehicle maps. (static.nhtsa.gov) That means the recall is being handled through software and operational limits rather than a physical repair. The agency also said the final remedy is still under development. Waymo said it had “identified an area of improvement regarding untraversable flooded lanes specific to higher-speed roadways” and chose to file a voluntary software recall with NHTSA. The company said it was working on “additional software safeguards” and had refined extreme-weather operations during intense rain to limit access to areas where flash flooding might occur. (static.nhtsa.gov) San Antonio, Texas, was central to the latest action. CNBC reported that on April 20 a Waymo vehicle with no passengers entered a flooded road there and was swept into a creek, an incident that helped trigger a NHTSA probe and the recall. CNBC also reported that Waymo’s robotaxi service in San Antonio remains temporarily suspended. (cnbc.com) The recall adds to a growing list of software fixes Waymo has filed with federal regulators. TechCrunch reported that the company previously issued recalls tied to collisions with a towed vehicle, low-speed crashes involving gates and poles, and behavior around school buses. NHTSA records show Waymo filed another recall in 2025 over software behavior near stopped school buses, and a 2024 recall over software that could fail to avoid a pole or similar object. (cnbc.com) Waymo has also been expanding its commercial footprint as the recall lands. The company said this week it expects to cover more than 1,400 square miles across 11 cities over the next few weeks, and its blog said it is working with officials in Portland, Oregon, on a path to deployment. NHTSA’s May 11 letter sets the next formal step. The agency told Waymo to file an amended Part 573 recall report with a description of the final remedy for campaign 26E026, and to submit required owner-notification materials as the process continues. (techcrunch.com) (static.nhtsa.gov) (waymo.com)