Waymo temporarily halts highway operations for its robotaxi service in several U.S. markets as the company works to resolve performance issues in construction zones, FOX Business has learned.
THE Property of Alphabet The company confirmed Thursday that it is suspending its highway operations while it updates its software.
“Safety is Waymo’s top priority, both for our riders and everyone we share the road with,” a Waymo spokesperson said in a statement to FOX Business. “We have temporarily suspended highway operations as we work to integrate recent technical learnings into our software and plan to resume these routes soon.”
Waymo said the pause only affects highway driving and that surface road operations remain active.
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A Waymo vehicle drives into traffic on December 27, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The company said its vehicles are traveling through construction zones more than 10,000 times a day and it is using this break to improve the performance of robo-taxis on highways.
The announcement comes after Waymo suspended operations in Atlanta following flash flooding incidents, while working separately to improve performance around construction zones and flooded roads.
The pause follows reports that Waymo vehicles encountered floodwaters in Atlanta on Wednesday; AJC reported one vehicle needed to be recovered, while Waymo said a handful of others were temporarily stranded.
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A Waymo autonomous taxi on Bush Street in San Francisco, California, United States on December 17, 2025. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The move also comes after Waymo filed a recall covering 3,791 vehicles equipped with fifth- and sixth-generation automated driving systems due to a flood-related software issue that NHTSA said could cause a loss of vehicle control.
The reminder followed a April 20 incident in which an unoccupied Waymo vehicle detected a potentially undrivable flooded section of a road with a 40 mph speed limit and proceeded at reduced speed, according to NHTSA.
Teleprinter Security Last Change Change % GOOG ALPHABET INC. 383.47 -1.43 -0.37% The NHTSA report found that when a Waymo robotaxi approaches standing water on high-speed roads, it may slow down but not come to a complete stop after detecting the danger.
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Waymo vehicle approaching the curb to pick up a passenger on February 19, 2026. (Collection Smith/Gado/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Nearly 3,800 vehicles equipped with the company’s fifth and sixth generation automated driving systems (ADS) have been recalled. Regulators have estimated the defect rate at 100%.
According to NHTSA, Waymo applied an interim measure to all affected vehicles on April 20, modifying the approved scope of operation of its ADS to exclude additional conditions presenting a high risk of encountering a flooded roadway at higher speeds. Waymo is developing one last remedy.
Waymo operates thousands of vehicles across the United States, including in the United States. San FranciscoLos Angeles, Phoenix and Austin.
FOX Business’ Bonny Chu and Reuters contributed to this report.
