Waymo, Alphabet’s autonomous driving division, has issued a recall of 1,212 robotaxis to fix a glitch that could cause them to crash into barriers like chains and gates. The recall affects vehicles running fifth-generation automated driving systems (ADS) with software released before November 7, 2024. A software update pushed by December 26, 2024, is designed to fix the issue.
What’s Happening & Why This Matters
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) triggered the recall after an investigation revealed seven crashes involving barriers between 2022 and 2024. Waymo’s internal checks found nine additional incidents. While no injuries were reported, the glitch raised safety concerns about how robotaxis detect and react to particular stationary objects.
A Waymo spokesperson said, “We hold ourselves to a high safety standard, and our record of reducing injuries over tens of millions of fully autonomous miles driven shows our technology is making roads safer.” The company emphasized its ongoing collaboration with NHTSA to maintain its safety record.
What the Software Glitch Means
Waymo’s cars struggled to recognize gate-like barriers such as chains and utility fences correctly. This means the vehicles may misread or entirely miss low-visibility objects, which increases the risk of collisions. The December 2024 update reportedly reduces the chance of this issue, but only if installed.
If riding in a Waymo, check that the update has been applied. Vehicles with older software are still vulnerable to this problem.
Waymo’s Safety Record: A Mixed Bag
Despite the recall, Waymo continues to assert that autonomous vehicles (AVs) outperform humans regarding safety. According to a company-published study, Waymo cars were involved in 81% fewer injury-causing crashes and 64% fewer police-reported accidents than human-driven cars in Phoenix and San Francisco throughout 2024. This isn’t Waymo’s first recall. Earlier in February 2024, it recalled its entire fleet after two vehicles crashed into a towed truck. In mid-2024, 672 cars were recalled after a collision with a wooden utility pole in Arizona.
According to Reuters, Waymo operates about 1,500 autonomous vehicles in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin, delivering around 250,000 paid weekly rides. Waymo’s AV push continues, but these recalls spotlight AI-based driving flaws, especially regarding less-visible or unusual obstacles.
TF Summary: What’s Next
If using a Waymo robotaxi, ensure your ride includes the latest safety update. While the company boasts a decent safety record, software flaws in autonomous systems remind us that AI still has blind spots.
Expect further testing and scrutiny from regulators as more autonomous vehicles hit the road. It’s best to check before you ride — don’t get in that Waymo unless the recall is applied.
— Text-to-Speech (TTS) provided by gspeech