Waymo Issues Second Recall in Five Weeks After Robotaxis Enter Freeway Construction Zones

Waymo is recalling nearly 3,900 robotaxis across the United States after 13 known incidents in which vehicles drove into closed freeway construction zones, according to filings submitted Thursday to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The voluntary recall covers vehicles equipped with the company's fifth-generation automated driving systems. Incidents occurred in Phoenix and the San Francisco area, where robotaxis either entered closed construction zones or drove into freeway lanes with active construction work underway, the filings show.

"Driving through a closed construction zone increases the risk of a crash," Waymo wrote in its letter to NHTSA.

The recall is the second Waymo has initiated in just over a month, reinforcing scrutiny of the Alphabet-owned autonomous vehicle company's software reliability. In May, Waymo filed a separate voluntary recall after some of its vehicles drove into flooded zones or standing water.

In an emailed statement, Waymo said it "voluntarily restricted freeway operations last month while making improvements, proactively notified state and federal regulators, and decided to file a voluntary software recall with NHTSA." The company added that it continues to serve riders on surface streets across all cities where it operates.

While Waymo develops a software remedy, the company has limited robotaxi availability on freeways. Prior to the restriction, Waymo had been offering freeway service in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Miami.

The company currently operates a commercial robotaxi service across 11 U.S. markets. Earlier this month, Waymo introduced a $29.99 per month subscription tier for frequent riders in high-demand cities, and the company has announced plans for its first international expansions to London and Tokyo this year.

Waymo's safety record has drawn federal attention beyond this latest recall. The NHTSA Safety Board initiated a probe into the company following a January incident in which one of its robotaxis illegally passed a stopped school bus. The company has also faced scrutiny over vehicles failing to yield to school buses in Austin, Texas, and for incidents during a widespread San Francisco power outage in December, when robotaxis halted in traffic and contributed to gridlock.

Grayson Brulte, a co-founder of AUTNMY AI, which tracks the autonomous driving sector, described Waymo's filing as a "proactive decision." He cautioned, however, that "until the freeway patch is deployed and validated, we believe Waymo's expansion velocity is fundamentally constrained."

The accumulation of software recalls and open regulatory investigations comes at a moment when Waymo is pushing aggressively into new markets, underscoring the operational tension between rapid geographic expansion and the reliability demands of driverless vehicle systems. Whether NHTSA escalates its oversight in response to the pattern of incidents will be a key development to watch in the months ahead.

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