Waymo Recalls Over 3,800 Robotaxis Over Risk of Driving Into Freeway Construction Zones

Waymo has issued a software recall affecting 3,871 fifth-generation automated driving systems due to a risk that some robotaxis could enter active freeway construction zones and continue at speed. The recall, filed with the NHTSA, follows incidents in Phoenix and the San Francisco Bay Area where vehicles entered closed or cone-marked lanes. Waymo has restricted freeway operations for the affected units while a software fix is developed. The company, a leader in the U.S. robotaxi market, is expanding to more than 1,400 square miles across 11 cities and pursuing international rollout, including London and Tokyo, alongside a national ad campaign asserting Waymo Driver is ten times safer than a human driver in operating cities.