Overview
- A passenger in San Francisco says a Waymo robotaxi drove through cones into a closed Highway 101 construction lane and was followed by a nearby highway patrol car, leaving riders shaken.
- Waymo has filed a voluntary recall covering about 3,871 vehicles running its 5th‑generation automated driving system and has restricted those cars from freeway driving while it prepares a software update.
- Company filings and reports indicate the problem stems from the vehicle’s automated driving system failing to recognize or correctly prioritize temporary construction zones when other freeway hazards are present.
- Waymo says no collisions or injuries were reported in the incidents and the company will push the remedy over the air to its fleet it owns and operates.
- Regulators including NHTSA are reviewing the recall, experts urge better real‑time data links between transportation agencies and vehicle systems, and the restrictions threaten Waymo’s freeway‑dependent scaling and rider confidence.