Waymo is voluntarily recalling nearly 3,800 U.S. robotaxis after a San Antonio flood incident raised concerns about software safeguards.
Waymo is voluntarily recalling nearly 3,800 self-driving taxis in the United States after a software issue allowed one of its vehicles to enter a flooded road in Texas and be swept into a creek.
The recall affects robotaxis equipped with Waymo’s fifth- and sixth-generation automated driving systems, according to a letter posted Tuesday on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website. The action follows an April 20 incident in San Antonio in which an empty Waymo vehicle drove onto a flooded road before being carried into a creek.
No injuries were reported in the supplied account, and the vehicle was not carrying passengers. But the episode highlights a central challenge for autonomous vehicle companies: ensuring self-driving systems can recognize and avoid hazardous conditions that may change quickly, including flash flooding.
Waymo, owned by Google parent Alphabet, told the BBC that safety was its “primary priority” and said it was working on “additional software safeguards.” A company spokesperson said mitigations were already in place, including limiting access to areas where flash flooding might occur.
Waymo’s San Antonio service remains temporarily suspended after the incident. The company said public rides there will resume once the necessary software fix has been deployed.
The recall comes as Waymo continues to expand its robotaxi operations. The company says it now provides more than 500,000 trips a week across several U.S. cities, including San Francisco, Austin and Miami, and it hopes to operate a robotaxi service in London by September.
Jack Stilgoe, a professor of science and technology policy at University College London, told the BBC that self-driving systems have limits in the conditions and locations where they can operate safely. “We often see these limits only when something goes wrong,” he said.
The NHTSA letter makes the recall the immediate regulatory focus. The next test for Waymo will be whether its software update and access restrictions satisfy safety concerns before San Antonio rides restart.
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