Waymo Initiates Recall of 3,800 Autonomous Vehicles Following Texas Flood Incident
Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, has voluntarily recalled 3,791 of its autonomous vehicles. This action comes in the wake of a software defect that led a robotaxi to drive into floodwaters, resulting in it being swept into a creek in San Antonio. The recall was announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Tuesday.
The incident took place on April 20. An unoccupied Waymo robotaxi encountered a flooded section of roadway with a 40 mph speed limit. Instead of stopping or rerouting to avoid the danger, the vehicle continued into the floodwater at a reduced speed. Eventually, it was swept into Salado Creek. Thankfully, there were no passengers aboard, and no injuries were reported. However, the vehicle had to be recovered days later.
The recall impacts robotaxis fitted with both Waymo’s fifth and sixth-generation automated driving systems. These vehicles operate in approximately a dozen U.S. cities, including:
- Phoenix
- San Francisco
- Los Angeles
- Austin
- San Antonio
- Atlanta
The company currently provides 500,000 paid robotaxi rides per week, with a target of one million weekly rides by the end of the year.
Unlike traditional automotive recalls that require dealership visits, Waymo’s solution is being implemented through an over-the-air software update to the entire fleet. The company has put in place interim mitigations, including heightened weather-related operational constraints and updated vehicle maps, while the final software fix is being developed.
This is not the first safety action for Waymo. The company previously recalled 1,212 robotaxis in May 2025 due to collisions with stationary barriers. It also faces ongoing investigations, including one involving a robotaxi that struck a child near a Santa Monica elementary school in January, and at least 24 instances of vehicles illegally passing school buses in Austin.
Source: TechCrunch