Overview
- Waymo, which disclosed the action Tuesday in NHTSA filings, is recalling vehicles running its driverless software because it may slow but still drive into standing water on higher‑speed roads.
- An unoccupied Waymo in San Antonio on April 20 detected a flooded lane on a 40 mph road, continued at reduced speed, was swept into Salado Creek, and was recovered days later with no injuries reported.
- The recall covers vehicles using the company’s fifth‑ and sixth‑generation automated driving systems operating in cities including Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, San Antonio, and Atlanta.
- Waymo has tightened weather‑related limits, updated maps to steer cars away from flood‑prone areas, paused San Antonio operations, and said Tuesday it restarted service there after a review.
- The fix is a software update delivered over the air, and the action comes after other recent Waymo recalls and ongoing NHTSA and NTSB investigations into incidents such as passing stopped school buses and a child being struck near a Santa Monica school.