Waymo Recalls 3800 Robotaxis Over Software Flaw Risking Flooded Roads

Waymo is recalling thousands of its self-driving cars in the United States due to a software problem that could send vehicles onto flooded roads.

A letter posted Tuesday on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website details the voluntary recall of nearly 3,800 robotaxis equipped with the company's fifth- and sixth-generation automated driving systems.

The action stems from an April 20 incident in San Antonio, Texas, where an unoccupied Waymo vehicle drove into a flooded road and got swept into a creek.

Waymo, owned by Alphabet, Google's parent company, told CNBC it is developing additional software safeguards. The company aims to launch a robotaxi service in London by September.

Waymo's San Antonio operations remain suspended after the incident. The company said public rides will resume once the software fix is deployed.

The NHTSA letter states that temporary updates already restrict where affected vehicles can drive during extreme weather.

Waymo now delivers more than 500,000 trips weekly in cities including San Francisco, Austin and Miami.

Jack Stilgoe, a professor of science and technology policy at University College London, told the BBC that all self-driving systems have limits on safe operating conditions.

"We often see these limits only when something goes wrong," he said.

As more autonomous vehicles hit the roads, Stilgoe said, such issues will likely surface more often.

"That isn't to say the technology won't be hugely beneficial," he added. "But policymakers would prefer to know about these things in advance rather than discovering them in hindsight."

Several incidents involving driverless car companies over the past year have fueled concerns about robotaxi safety. In December 2025, a major power outage in San Francisco halted Waymo taxis across the city and caused widespread disruption.