Waymo Recalls Nearly 3,800 Robotaxis After Flooded-Road Incident

Waymo is recalling autonomous driving software tied to vehicles that drove on flooded roads, affecting 3,791 robotaxi vehicles equipped with the company's fifth- and sixth-generation self-driving systems. The recall, reported by The Verge citing a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration filing, follows an incident in which an unoccupied vehicle encountered a flooded section of roadway and continued driving at reduced speed after detecting the hazard. Waymo said no one was injured in the incident.

The Details

The recall covers 3,791 vehicles using Waymo's fifth- and sixth-generation autonomous driving systems, according to The Verge's reporting on the NHTSA filing. This marks the first recall for the company's sixth-generation platform. The fifth-generation Jaguar I-Pace fleet has previously been recalled five times, The Verge reported.

The incident that triggered the recall involved an unoccupied robotaxi that, according to Waymo's description in the NHTSA filing as quoted by The Verge, "encountered an untraversable flooded section of a roadway that has a 40 mph speed limit." The vehicle "proceeded at reduced speed" after detecting the hazard. No injuries were reported.

Waymo stated that no one was injured. The company also said that it has already taken steps to mitigate the issue while a permanent remedy is in development. According to The Verge's reporting, Waymo said it would "increase weather-related constraints and updated the vehicles maps" as interim measures while it works on a remedy.

Context

Waymo has established its commercial robotaxi operations in cities characterized by warmer, drier climates, including Phoenix, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Austin. As the company looks toward expansion into markets with more varied and severe weather patterns, handling conditions such as flooded roadways becomes a more significant operational challenge.

The sixth-generation platform is intended for high-volume production and is planned for integration into vehicles including the Zeekr RT minivan and the Hyundai Ioniq 5. The recall arrives as Waymo has sought to position this generation as the foundation for broader commercial scale.

The company has recently highlighted safety performance data from more than 127 million fully autonomous miles on its official blog. A recall focused on weather handling stands in contrast to that record of autonomous operation.

What's Next

Waymo said it is working on a permanent remedy for the software issue that allowed the vehicle to proceed on the flooded road. In the interim, the company has increased weather-related constraints and updated vehicle maps. The recall applies to both the fifth-generation Jaguar I-Pace fleet and the newer sixth-generation system vehicles.