Alphabet’s Waymo has initiated a recall of over 1,200 self-driving vehicles in the US to update software and address collision risks with chains, gates, and other roadway barriers.
The move follows an investigation by US auto safety authorities into the performance of Waymo’s fifth-generation automated driving system.
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The recall impacts 1,212 Waymo vehicles currently using the company’s automated driving system software.
Waymo operates over 1,500 vehicles across San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin, Texas.
The company also plans to expand services to Atlanta, Miami, and Washington, DC.
Waymo reported 16 collisions involving chains, gates, and other barriers from 2022 to late 2024, with no injuries resulting from these incidents.
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By GlobalDataThis information was submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which opened an investigation in May 2024 into Waymo’s self-driving vehicles after reports of traffic safety law violations.
The NHTSA noted that several incidents involved collisions with visible objects that a competent driver would avoid.
The agency said several incidents under investigation “involved collisions with clearly visible objects that a competent driver would be expected to avoid.”
Although the investigation remains open, Waymo has resolved the issue with a software update to its automated driving system, initiated in November.
The company said: “Waymo provides more than 250,000 paid trips every week in some of the most challenging driving environments in the US”.
It added: “Our record of reducing injuries over tens of millions of fully autonomous miles driven shows our technology is making roads safer.”
In February 2024, Waymo recalled 444 vehicles following two minor collisions in Arizona due to a software error affecting the prediction of towed vehicle movements.
Additionally, over 670 vehicles were recalled in June after a vehicle struck a wooden utility pole in Phoenix, with the software failing to avoid the object.
Earlier this year, Tesla recalled approximately 239,000 vehicles due to a defect affecting the rear-view camera display.
