Waymo Robotaxis Stall During San Francisco Power Outage
A widespread power outage in San Francisco on December 20, 2025 disabled traffic signals across the city, causing about 1,000 Waymo robotaxis to stall at intersections and block traffic. The vehicles, designed to handle signal loss, reportedly failed to operate normally during the blackout, leading Waymo to suspend service after city officials raised concerns about the gridlock.
What happened
A widespread power outage in San Francisco on Saturday night, December 20, 2025, caused traffic signals to fail across large portions of the city. Waymo robotaxis stopped abruptly at darkened intersections and streets, unable to operate normally and blocking traffic behind them.
Videos and photos on social media showed multiple Waymo vehicles frozen at intersections with hazard lights blinking, with some clusters containing as many as six immobilized vehicles. Tow truck operators reported towing Waymos for hours overnight.
Reported impact
The malfunctioning robotaxis created traffic gridlock and angered drivers of regular vehicles stuck behind them. Mayor Daniel Lurie urged residents to stay off the roads due to nonfunctional traffic signals, and police were dispatched to major intersections.
The power outage affected about 130,000 homes and businesses throughout the day, with approximately 30% of PG&E customers in San Francisco without power on Saturday evening.
Index analysis
Experts noted the malfunctions were especially curious because Waymo and other self-driving car companies design their vehicles to continue operating when they lose access to wireless networks or when traffic lights lose power. Poor weather often knocks out traffic lights in San Francisco without causing problems for autonomous vehicles.
Governance controls
After the mayor's team contacted Waymo about the significant gridlock the vehicles were contributing to, the company temporarily suspended its ride-hailing service in the San Francisco Bay Area. Waymo stated it was working in close coordination with city officials to restore services.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.