Waymo Recalling More Than 3,800 Robotaxis Over Risk of Entering Freeway Construction Zones — Update

By Robb M. Stewart

Waymo is recalling thousands of robotaxis over the risk the vehicles could speed through highway construction zones.

The self-driving car company, a Google sibling within Alphabet, is recalling certain fifth-generation automated driving systems after a number of events in which its cars didn't recognize and drove past ramp-closure signs into pre-planned freeway construction zones.

A safety recall report released by the Transportation Department's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the number of vehicles involved in the recall is potentially 3,871. It said the autonomous vehicle under certain circumstances may enter and drive at speed in freeway construction zones due to inappropriately prioritizing the avoidance of other freeway hazards and/or failing to recognize the construction zone.

The recall comes as companies are looking to step up the deployment of robotaxis in the U.S. This week, Uber Technologies, Lucid Group and Nuro unveiled plans to launch their robotaxi service in Houston next year and Intel's Mobileye said it aims to launch a new robotaxi business in 2027.

A spokesperson for Waymo said the company identified an area of improvement regarding performance around freeway construction zones. It voluntarily restricted freeway operations last month while making improvements, and it notified state and federal regulators and decided to file a voluntary software recall with NHTSA, the spokesperson said.

"We continue to safely serve riders on surface streets in all the cities where we operate," Waymo's spokesperson said.

The recall report said that Waymo's field safety committee implemented freeway driving restrictions until operational changes could be made to improve car awareness and the response to freeway closures after an event with a car April 11 and five events April 19 in Phoenix, Ariz. The report said that on May 18, seven Waymo vehicles entered freeway lanes with active construction in the San Francisco Bay Area by driving between traffic cones. The company's safety board on June 8 decided to conduct a recall after reviewing additional information related to cars' performance around construction zones.

The recall will include software improvements to avoid cars entering a construction zone and detecting that the vehicle is within a construction zone, as well as additional operational protocols, the report said.

Write to Robb M. Stewart at robb.stewart@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 18, 2026 09:25 ET (13:25 GMT)