Zoox issues software recall after a robotaxi got confused by heavy smoke

Zoox has issued a software recall after a robotaxi appeared to struggle when it encountered heavy smoke during an active emergency fire scene in June. The Amazon-owned company said it shipped a software update to its fleet of 105 vehicles to address the issue. In the June incident, no one was onboard, and Zoox told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) it is not aware of injuries linked to the problem. NHTSA said the June 20 event occurred without cones cordoning off the scene, and the vehicle braked hard while attempting to steer away before stopping. A teleoperator reversed the robotaxi to let first responders place cones. Zoox decided to recall on July 7, one day before NHTSA administrator Jonathan Morrison’s letter urging AV developers to focus on emergency-scene detection. It joins recent NHTSA attention and builds on prior Zoox recalls tied to hard braking and other vehicle incidents.