Waymo Recalls 3,800 Robotaxis After Software Glitch Allowed Vehicles to Drive Into Flooded Roads

Waymo has issued a voluntary recall of approximately 3,800 robotaxis across the United States to address a software flaw that could allow the autonomous vehicles to drive onto flooded roadways, according to a letter posted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website Tuesday.

The recall covers Waymo vehicles equipped with the company's fifth and sixth generation automated driving systems, the federal auto safety regulator confirmed.

Incidents in Austin, Texas, were recorded on camera showing Waymo vehicles driving onto a flooded street and stalling, forcing other drivers to navigate around them. The footage drew renewed attention to the operational limits of autonomous vehicles in adverse weather conditions.

In a statement Tuesday, the company said it had "identified an area of improvement regarding untraversable flooded lanes specific to higher-speed roadways," and opted to file a voluntary software recall with the NHTSA.

"Waymo provides over half a million trips every week in some of the most challenging driving environments across the U.S., and safety is our primary priority," the company said.

As an interim measure, Waymo said it has deployed "mitigations" that restrict where its robotaxis operate during extreme weather, directing vehicles to avoid "areas where flash flooding might occur" during periods of intense rain. The company added that it is working on "additional software safeguards."

The recall is the latest in a series of safety-related incidents for the Alphabet-owned autonomous vehicle unit, which has been rapidly expanding its fleet and entering new U.S. markets.

Waymo previously drew criticism after its vehicles in Austin failed to yield to school buses. In December, during widespread power outages in San Francisco, robotaxis halted in traffic and contributed to gridlock in affected areas.

The Austin flooding incidents underscore a persistent challenge for autonomous vehicle developers: building systems capable of reliably detecting and responding to dynamic, real-world hazards that extend beyond standard road conditions.

With regulators and the public scrutinizing AV performance more closely as commercial deployments scale, Waymo's response to the recall — and the timeline for completing its software update — is likely to draw continued attention from both federal overseers and city officials in the markets where it operates.