Overview
- On Thursday Waymo halted freeway robotaxi trips in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Miami so engineers can integrate software changes after the fleet showed trouble navigating some highway construction configurations.
- The company has paused operations in Atlanta and multiple Texas cities following incidents in which unoccupied Waymo vehicles entered or stopped in standing floodwater, prompting a recall of roughly 3,700–3,800 vehicles over a flooding‑related software defect.
- Waymo pushed an interim over‑the‑air update that narrowed where cars operate in higher flood risk conditions, but that update did not prevent at least one vehicle from becoming stuck in Atlanta during a rapid downpour.
- Federal safety agencies, including NHTSA with related NTSB engagement, have requested data and are reviewing Waymo’s recall and remedies while separate probes examine past issues such as robotaxis passing stopped school buses and a collision that injured a child.
- Surface‑street service remains active in most markets, but the freezes on freeway routes threaten airport connections and faster trips that are central to Waymo’s expansion plans and its target to scale paid rides this year.