Waymo has initiated a recall of nearly 4,000 autonomous vehicles to address challenges encountered in highway construction zones. This decision follows 13 reported incidents where the company’s robotaxis entered areas closed for construction—six in Phoenix, Arizona, during April, and seven in San Francisco, California, in May.
In response, Waymo suspended all highway operations on May 19 and is actively developing a software update to rectify the issue. Despite this pause, the company continues to operate its fleet on surface streets, though services have been intermittently halted during severe weather conditions that could lead to flooding.
Waymo stated, “We identified an area of improvement regarding performance around freeway construction zones.” The company emphasized its proactive approach by voluntarily restricting freeway operations, notifying both state and federal regulators, and filing a voluntary software recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
This marks the sixth recall for Waymo’s autonomous vehicles. Previous recalls addressed issues such as vehicles driving into flooded roads, illegal behavior around school buses, low-speed collisions with chains and gates, and incidents involving telephone poles and towed trucks.
Currently, Waymo’s driving software is under investigation by both the NHTSA and the National Transportation Safety Board concerning its behavior around school buses, following an incident where a robotaxi struck a child near a school in January.
Despite these challenges, Waymo reports that its vehicles have autonomously driven over 170 million miles, claiming a 13-fold reduction in serious injury or worse crashes compared to human drivers.
As the company embarks on an ambitious expansion plan, aiming to launch services in over 20 cities this year—including international markets like London and Tokyo—these incidents underscore the complexities of deploying autonomous vehicles in diverse urban environments. The recent issues with highway construction zones highlight the need for continuous refinement of autonomous driving systems to ensure safety and reliability.
