Waymo Recalls 3,800 Robotaxis in U.S. Over Flooded Roadway Software Issues

Waymo is recalling about 3,800 robotaxis in the U.S. to fix software issues that could allow them to "drive onto a flooded roadway," according to a letter on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website. The voluntary recall is for Waymo vehicles that use the company's fifth and sixth generation automated driving systems (or ADS), the U.S. auto safety regulator said in the letter posted Tuesday. Waymo autonomous vehicles in Austin, Texas, were seen on camera driving onto a flooded street and stalling, requiring other drivers to navigate around them. It's the latest example of a safety-related issue for the Alphabet-owned AV unit that's rapidly bolstering its fleet of vehicles and entering new U.S. markets. Waymo has drawn criticism for its vehicles failing to yield to school buses in Austin, and for the performance of its vehicles during widespread power outages in San Francisco in December, when robotaxis halted in traffic, causing gridlock. The company said in a statement on Tuesday that it's "identified an area of improvement regarding untraversable flooded lanes specific to higher-speed roadways," and opted to file a "voluntary software recall" with the NHTSA. "Waymo provides over half a million trips every week in some of the most challenging driving environments across the U.S., and safety is our primary priority," the company said. Waymo added that it's working on "additional software safeguards" and has put "mitigations" in place, limiting where its robotaxis operate during extreme weather, so that they avoid "areas where flash flooding might occur" in periods of intense rain.