Waymo Releases Software Update for Flooded Roadway Detection on Higher-Speed Roads

Waymo issued a voluntary recall of exactly 3,791 robotaxis to fix software issues that could allow the vehicles to drive onto a flooded roadway. The recall, filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, covers vehicles using the company's fifth and sixth generation automated driving systems.

The decision came in late April after robotaxis struggled to navigate flooding in central Texas.

On April 20, a Waymo autonomous vehicle in San Antonio entered a flooded road and was swept away into a creek with no passengers on board. That incident kicked off an NHTSA probe. Incidents captured on camera in Austin, Texas, showed Waymo vehicles driving onto a flooded street and stalling in traffic during heavy rain.

Similar flooding-related incidents have occurred in other locations. Waymo has identified an area of improvement regarding untraversable flooded lanes specific to higher-speed roadways.

The initial software update places restrictions at times and in locations where there is an elevated risk of encountering a flooded, higher-speed roadway. Waymo is still developing the final remedy for this recall, according to NHTSA documents. Waymo is working to implement additional software safeguards.

The company has put mitigations in place, including refining its extreme weather operations during periods of intense rain and limiting access to areas where flash flooding might occur. Waymo's robotaxi service in San Antonio, Texas, remains temporarily suspended. The company is readying operations to resume public rides in San Antonio.

Waymo provides over half a million trips every week. U.S. markets, with broad public access in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin and Miami.

In a few markets, the service is available to select riders. This is not the first time Waymo has issued recalls for its self-driving cars. The company has issued multiple recalls for its self-driving cars prior to this flooding recall, including earlier actions to address low-speed crashes and illegal driving near school buses.

Waymo said that safety is its primary priority while scaling operations across challenging environments. The voluntary recall reflects the company's response to real-world performance data captured both on video and through its own monitoring of fleet behavior in extreme weather.