Waymo Recalls 3,800 Robotaxis After Vehicle Swept into Creek in San Antonio Incident
Waymo, the autonomous vehicle subsidiary of Google's parent company Alphabet, has initiated a voluntary recall of approximately 3,800 robotaxis operating in the United States. This action comes after a vehicle in San Antonio, Texas, drove into a flooded road on 20 April, subsequently being swept into a creek. The recall addresses a software defect in the company's fifth and sixth-generation automated driving systems, which could permit vehicles to enter hazardous, flooded conditions.
Software Flaws Prompt Safety Review
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) confirmed the recall, stating that Waymo is developing "additional software safeguards" to prevent similar incidents. The San Antonio robotaxi service remains temporarily suspended, with Waymo indicating it will resume operations once the necessary software updates are fully deployed. Interim measures, including software restrictions on driving during extreme weather, have already been implemented across the affected fleet.
This incident adds to a growing list of safety concerns surrounding autonomous vehicles. Previous events include a large-scale power outage in San Francisco in December 2025, which incapacitated Waymo taxis across the city, and a mass outage of Apollo Go robotaxis in Wuhan, China, in April, leaving a hundred self-driving cars stranded in traffic. These occurrences highlight the inherent limitations of current autonomous systems and underscore the challenges policymakers face in regulating a rapidly evolving, yet imperfect, technology.
