Waymo Issues Another Recall, This Time Over Highway Construction Zones

The robotaxi company issues a recall on 3,871 vehicles that could make incorrect decisions while driving in highway construction zones.

Omar Gallaga

Omar Gallaga has covered technology, digital culture and other topics for outlets including CNET, NPR, WIRED, Texas Monthly, MSNBC, Consumer Reports, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic and the Austin American-Statesman, where he was a longtime tech reporter, editor and podcaster. He lives in the Texas Hill Country.

2 min read

Nearly 4,000 Waymo vehicles, the company's entire fleet of fifth-generation robotaxis, are affected by a new recall issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration related to driving near or within freeway construction zones.

According to an NHTSA report, incidents in Phoenix, Arizona, and San Francisco have raised concerns that autonomous taxis are driving into construction zones to avoid traffic hazards. Those incidents took place in April and May, respectively.

A representative for Waymo didn't immediately return a request for comment.

The report says that Waymo cars could enter closed construction zones "at speed" because they are incorrectly prioritizing other highway hazards and failing to recognize the construction zones.

The issue affects Waymo vehicles using the fifth generation of the company's Autonomous Driving System, which would be all of its Jaguar vehicles in service. The company has been rolling out sixth-generation vehicles this year, but they are not listed as part of this recall.

Waymo will remedy the situation by making "software improvements to avoid entering a construction zone and detecting that the AV is within a construction zone, as well as additional operational protocols... The remedy will enhance Waymo AVs performance in and around freeway construction zones,"  according to the NHTSA report.

Previous recalls and issues

While Waymos have become reliable ridesharing fixtures on the streets of cities including Austin, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Orlando, they have also been the subject of some high-profile incidents involving vehicles gone wrong.

In May, a similar recall was issued over the risk of Waymo vehicles driving into flooded areas, posing a safety hazard. Waymos have also been the subject of an investigation related to vehicles driving past stopped school buses and stalling during power outages, as happened last year in San Francisco.

Waymo also drew the attention of Austin's City Council when a robotaxi blocked emergency response vehicles after a mass shooting in March. A similar incident occurred in Dallas earlier this month when a Waymo robotaxi blocked a road that emergency responders were trying to use after an apartment explosion.

Tesla, Zoox and Uber are other companies that are competing with Waymo in the robotaxi market.