Nearly 4,000 Waymo The vehicles, the company’s entire fleet of fifth-generation robotaxis, are affected by a new recall issued this month by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regarding driving near or in highway construction zones.
According to the NHTSA report, incidents in Phoenix, Arizona and San Francisco have raised concerns that self-driving taxis are heading into construction zones to avoid traffic hazards. These incidents took place in April and May respectively.
The report says Waymo cars could enter closed construction zones “at high speed” because they incorrectly prioritize other road hazards and do not recognize construction zones.
In an email to CNET, a Waymo spokesperson said: “We have identified an area of improvement regarding performance around highway construction zones. We voluntarily restricted highway operations last month while making improvements, proactively notified state and federal regulators, and decided to file a voluntary software recall with NHTSA.
The company said that while it restricts operations on highways, “we continue to serve riders safely on the streets of every city where we operate.”
The construction zone issue affects Waymo vehicles using the fifth generation of the company’s autonomous driving system, which are believed to be all of its Jaguar vehicles in service. The company was deployment of sixth generation vehicles this year, but they are not listed as part of this recall.
Waymo will remedy the situation by making “software enhancements to avoid entering a construction zone and detect that the AV is in a construction zone, as well as additional operational protocols… The remedy will improve Waymo AV performance in and around highway construction zones,” according to the NHTSA report.
Previous recalls and issues
Although Waymos have become reliable ride-sharing devices on the streets of cities like Austin, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Orlando, they have also been the subject of high-profile incidents involving vehicles gone wrong.
In May, a similar recall was issued regarding the risk of Waymo vehicles operating in flooded areas, posing a safety risk. Waymos was also the subject of a vehicle-related investigation pass stopped school buses and blocking during power outages, as happened last year in San Francisco.
Waymo also caught the attention of the Austin City Council when a robo-taxi blocked emergency response vehicles after a mass shooting in March. A similar incident occurred in Dallas earlier this month when a Waymo robo-taxi blocked a road that emergency responders were trying to use after an apartment explosion.
Other companies that compete with Waymo in the robo-taxi market include Tesla, Zoox, and Uber.
