Waymo issued a software recall on 1,200 self-driving vehicles after some of its robotaxis were involved in minor collisions with gates, chains, and other gate-like roadway objects.
The software update, which was first reported by Reuters, was conducted late last year, according to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Alphabet-owned company said in the document that Waymo’s Safety Board decided to conduct a recall to that specific version of driverless software to “fulfill relevant regulatory reporting obligations.”
NHTSA opened a preliminary evaluation into Waymo’s automated driving system last May after learning of seven incidents in which robotaxis had collided with “stationary and semi-stationary objects such as gates and chains” between December 2022 and April 2024. None of these resulted in injury, according to NHTSA.
In November 2024, Waymo rolled out a software update to its fleet of robotaxis, which numbered 1,200 at the time. The software update significantly decreased the likelihood of these types of event, according to documents filed with NHTSA. Today, Waymo has 1,500 commercial robotaxis in operation in Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco.
Software updates were in progress at the time NHTSA’s examination began, according to the documents. The company had ongoing discussions with NHTSA regarding the evaluation of comparative risk for autonomous vehicles and provided the agency with information regarding nine additional collisions with these kinds of barriers, which occurred between February 2024 and December 2024.
Waymo has issued at least two other recalls. The company issued a software recall in June 2024 to its Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis after one of them collided with a telephone pole. Waymo also recalled previous software in February 2024 after two of its robotaxis crashed into the same pickup truck that was being towed by a tow truck.
