Waymo to recall over 80% of its robotaxis after over a dozen minor collisions

Robotaxi provider Waymo announced it is recalling over 1,200 of its self-driving vehicles currently in operation. The recall follows an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in which Waymo will deliver software updates to vehicles at risk of collisions with non-human obstacles.

Despite today’s recall news, Waymo arguably remains the industry leader in US robotaxi operations. While many competitors have faltered, Waymo has continued to develop safer and more dependable self-driving technology while expanding the footprint of its operations to major metropolitan areas in California, Arizona, and, most recently, Texas.

Earlier this month, the company, which Google parent Alphabet, Inc. owns, announced plans to double its fleet of all-electric Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis this year. Part of the reason for Waymo’s steady growth has been in its technology, backed by hard data that proves its self-driving vehicles are up to 25x safer for pedestrians and cyclists compared to human drivers.

But what about gates or other roadway barriers? Over the past three years, Waymo’s robotaxis have tallied over a dozen minor colissions with chains and other obstructions, leading to an investigation from the NHTSA that warranted the recent recall.

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Spoiler alert to all the autonomy naysayers, no humans have been injured in these reports.

Waymo recall affects majority of its 1,500 robotaxi vehicles

As reported by Reuters, Waymo has issued a recall on 1,212 of its 1,500 self-driving vehicles currently operating around Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco. Those 1,200+ Waymo vehicles are currently operating on the robotaxi network’s fifth-generation software and will require an update to resume service.

One year ago, the NHTSA opened an investigation into Waymo’s vehicles after receiving multiple reports of the autonomous rideshare vehicles exhibiting behavior that potentially violated traffic safety laws. According to the investigative report, Waymo robotaxis had 16 collisions with chains, gates, and other road barriers between 2022 and late 2024. Waymo said it knew of those incidents, and none resulted in any injuries.

While the NHTSA’s investigation remains open, Waymo is getting a jump on the collision issue with the recall, which, according to the company, has already been fixed in its sixth-generation software. Following the recall news, Waymo shared a statement to respark confidence in its self-driving tech and its safety benefits:

Waymo provides more than 250,000 paid trips every week in some of the most challenging driving environments in the US. Our record of reducing injuries over tens of millions of fully autonomous miles driven shows our technology is making roads safer.

A manual software update of the 1,212 vehicles affected by the recall should quickly address the risk of minor collisions. The company has previously outlined plans to expand its Waymo-One rideshare services to new cities like Atlanta, Georgia, in 2025 through an ongoing partnership with Uber.