Waymo has issued a software recall affecting 1,200 of its self-driving vehicles after several robotaxis were involved in minor collisions with gates, chains, and other similar stationary objects.
According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Alphabet-owned company decided to recall a specific version of its autonomous driving software to comply with regulatory reporting requirements. The recall follows a preliminary NHTSA investigation, which began in May 2024 after reports of seven collisions between December 2022 and April 2024 involving robotaxis striking stationary or semi-stationary objects. None of these incidents resulted in injuries.
In response, Waymo released a software update in November 2024 that significantly reduced the likelihood of such collisions. At the time of the update, Waymo operated 1,200 robotaxis. The fleet has since grown to 1,500 vehicles active in, Phoenix, and San Francisco.
During the NHTSA’s ongoing evaluation, Waymo disclosed nine additional collisions with barriers from February to December 2024. The company continues to collaborate with the agency on assessing the comparative risks of autonomous vehicles.
This recall is the latest in a series of software updates and recalls by Waymo, including a June 2024 recall following a collision with a telephone pole and an earlier recall in February 2024 after two robotaxis crashed into the same pickup truck. For more on Waymo’s autonomous vehicle safety efforts
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