SAN FRANCISCO, June 24 (San Francisco News Online) — Waymo has filed a voluntary recall covering 3,871 vehicles with its fifth-generation automated driving system after federal safety regulators said the software could allow a robotaxi to enter a closed freeway construction zone and keep driving.
The recall, listed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as Campaign Number 26E035000, applies to Waymo LLC vehicles in the United States. NHTSA said driving through a closed construction zone increases the risk of a crash.
According to the federal recall report, Waymo said the fix is still being developed. In the meantime, the company said it has modified vehicle operations to restrict freeway driving.
Waymo also said it will update the automated driving software free of charge so vehicles can better detect construction zones and avoid entering them.
The company said in a statement that it had identified an area for improvement around freeway construction sites. It said it voluntarily limited freeway operations while making changes and notified state and federal regulators before filing the recall.
Waymo said it continues to safely serve passengers on surface streets in the cities where it operates.
The recall stems from incidents the company reviewed in Phoenix and in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to the filing. The San Francisco region gives the case local significance for a company whose robotaxis have operated in the Bay Area.
Waymo said no collisions or injuries were reported in the incidents reviewed for the recall.
The NHTSA filing does not show a final timeline for the software remedy, only that the corrective update is under development. Until that update is ready, freeway driving remains restricted as the company works through the recall process.
