Waymo recalls 4,000 robotaxis over highway construction zone navigation
Original: Waymo recalls nearly 4,000 robotaxis to stop them driving into highway construction zones
Why This Matters
Demonstrates ongoing technical challenges in autonomous vehicle development despite scale; impacts robotaxi expansion plans
Waymo has recalled nearly 4,000 robotaxis after identifying at least 13 instances of vehicles driving into closed highway construction zones. The company voluntarily restricted freeway operations and filed a software recall with NHTSA, with a fix currently under development.
Waymo recalled its fleet of approximately 4,000 robotaxis to address a software issue preventing vehicles from properly recognizing and avoiding highway construction zones. The company identified at least 13 instances where robotaxis drove into closed construction areas: six incidents occurred in Phoenix, Arizona in April, and seven in San Francisco, California in May. According to NHTSA filings, Waymo's vehicles "did not recognize and drove past ramp closure signs into pre-planned freeway construction zones." The company voluntarily restricted all freeway operations on May 19, 2025, while developing a fix. Vehicles continue operating on surface streets. This marks Waymo's sixth recall. Previous recalls addressed flooded road detection (May), school bus interactions (December), low-speed collisions with obstacles, and towed truck handling. The company's driving software is currently under NHTSA and National Transportation Safety Board investigation regarding school bus behavior following a January incident involving a child. Waymo, owned by Alphabet, operates approximately 170 million autonomous miles and claims a 13x reduction in serious-injury-or-worse crashes versus human drivers. The company is expanding to over 20 cities in 2026, including London and Tokyo, which has highlighted additional edge cases in its autonomous driving capabilities.