Waymo Issues Voluntary Recall for Autonomous Software After Vehicle Traversed Flooded Roadway

Waymo is recalling its autonomous driving software after an unoccupied robotaxi drove on a flooded roadway despite detecting the hazard. The recall affects 3,791 vehicles that operate using the company's fifth and sixth generation systems. In documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Waymo said the robotaxi encountered an untraversable flooded section of a roadway that has a 40 mph speed limit.

Despite detecting the flooded road, the vehicle proceeded at reduced speed. No one was injured in the incident.

The company said it is currently working on a remedy. As an interim measure, Waymo has updated its vehicles to increase weather-related constraints and updated the vehicles maps. This is the first recall for Waymo’s sixth generation autonomous driving system.

The Verge reported that the system rolled out earlier this year and is intended for high volume production. The sixth generation system is designed to work seamlessly across multiple vehicle types. The sixth generation system starts with the Zeekr RT minivan rebranded as Ojai.

It is followed by the Hyundai Ioniq 5. Waymo is in talks with other automakers, including Toyota, about future models. Waymo’s current fleet of Jaguar I-Pace vehicles runs on the company’s fifth generation technology.

The Verge reported that the fifth generation technology was first rolled out in March 2020. The fifth generation system has been recalled five times. The incident highlights challenges for driverless car companies when encountering altered road conditions as a result of extreme weather.