Waymo Recalls Over 1,200 Robotaxis After Collisions With Barriers
Waymo recalled 1,212 robotaxis running software versions from before November 2024 after 16 reported collisions with road barriers like chains and gates between 2022 and 2024. The company released a software update by December 2024, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation into the vehicles remains open with no injuries reported.
What happened
Waymo recalled 1,212 vehicles equipped with its 5th Generation Automated Driving System running software versions released before November 7, 2024, after reporting 16 collisions between 2022 and 2024 involving chains, gates and similar road barriers.
Waymo provided a software update to affected vehicles by December 2024 that fixed the glitch. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation into Waymo's vehicles in May 2024 after reports of collisions with clearly visible objects.
Reported impact
No injuries related to the crashes have been reported. Waymo stated it provides more than 250,000 paid taxi trips every week and operates more than 1,500 robotaxis in major cities across the country.
Index analysis
The software glitch made the vehicles more likely to crash into chains, gates and other roadway barriers. An expert from Lux Research noted that software-based recalls are not unusual as the autonomous driving technology matures.
Governance controls
Waymo filed the recall report with NHTSA. The company stated it holds itself to high safety standards and said the previous software update was designed to significantly decrease the likelihood of such events.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.