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Waymo issued a software recall for its robotaxi fleet of about 1,212 cars after several of them ran into objects such as gates and chains, according to a report filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
A spokesperson for NHTSA told Business Insider in an email that the agency opened an inquiry into Waymo’s fifth-generation driver last year after receiving 22 incident reports, some of which included collisions with stationary and semi-stationary roadway barriers. The spokesperson said the investigation remains open.
The NHTSA report said the incidents involving collisions into the barriers occurred between December 2022 and April 2024. There were no injuries involved, the report said.
According to the report, Waymo also flagged to NHTSA nine other minor collisions with similar barriers that occurred between February 2024 and December 2024. By the time NHTSA opened the inquiry, Waymo said that it had been working on a software update, according to the report.
A software update was fully rolled out for Waymo’s entire fleet by December 2024. It does not impact Waymo’s current operations, a Waymo spokesperson told Business Insider in an email.
“Waymo provides more than 250,000 paid trips every week in some of the most challenging driving environments in the US,” the spokesperson wrote. “We hold ourselves to a high safety standard, and our record of reducing injuries over tens of millions of fully autonomous miles driven shows our technology is making roads safer. NHTSA plays a vital role in road safety, and we will continue to work collaboratively with the agency as part of our mission to be the world’s most trusted driver.”
This is the third recall Waymo has issued in little more than a year.
In February 2024, Waymo issued a voluntary recall of more than 400 vehicles after two of its robotaxis crashed into a pickup truck that was being towed. The crash caused only minor vehicle damage, and no passengers were involved.
The company issued another voluntary recall in June 2024 for more than 670 cars after an unoccupied Waymo crashed into a telephone pole in Phoenix, according to NHTSA report.
Both recalls involved software updates.
Waymo has said that its robotaxis are safer than human drivers. Data published by the company showed that Waymo’s cars saw 81% “fewer injury-causing crashes” than the average human driver when comparing millions of miles Waymo has driven in Phoenix and San Francisco.
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