Waymo Pulls 3,800 Robotaxis After Software Flaw Sends Cars Into Flooded Streets

Waymo has voluntarily recalled roughly 3,800 self-driving vehicles across the U.S. after a software bug caused some of them to steer into standing water and stall. The issue, disclosed in a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, affects robotaxis equipped with the company's fifth- and sixth-generation automated driving systems.

Video footage from Austin, Texas, captured Waymo cars driving onto flooded roadways and stopping dead, forcing human drivers to navigate around them. Similar incidents occurred in other cities, including a more serious event in San Antonio on April 20, where an empty robotaxi rolled into a creek after entering a submerged lane. That incident triggered an NHTSA investigation and led to the recall.

The company acknowledged the flaw in a statement Tuesday, saying it had identified a gap in how its vehicles handle "untraversable flooded lanes," particularly on higher-speed roads. Waymo has since deployed software fixes and added safeguards that restrict operations during extreme weather, steering clear of areas prone to flash flooding.

Waymo provides more than 500,000 rides weekly across 11 U.S. markets, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, and Miami. The San Antonio service remains paused while the company prepares to resume public rides. This recall follows earlier criticism over robotaxis failing to yield to school buses in Austin and causing gridlock during a San Francisco power outage in December.

Source: CNBC