Waymo is issuing a voluntary software recall for its fleet of robotaxis after reports surfaced that its autonomous vehicles were illegally passing stopped school buses. The alphabet-owned company confirmed the move on Saturday, stating it will file the formal recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) early next week. This decision follows a federal investigation and complaints from local officials in Texas and Georgia regarding how the driverless cars behave around school transport vehicles.
Key Takeaways
- Waymo is filing a voluntary recall with NHTSA to update its autonomous driving software.
- The recall addresses a defect where robotaxis would initially stop for a school bus but then proceed past it while the stop arm was still extended.
- Austin Independent School District reported 19 incidents of Waymo vehicles passing stopped buses since the start of the school year.
- No injuries or collisions occurred in these events, and the company is updating the fleet over-the-air.
- Waymo’s Chief Safety Officer stated the move reflects their goal to uphold high safety standards.
The Safety Incident Reports
The software issue gained public attention after the Austin Independent School District (AISD) in Texas documented multiple safety violations. According to district officials, Waymo vehicles passed stopped school buses with their red lights flashing and stop signs deployed on at least 19 separate occasions this school year.
In one instance cited by regulators, a robotaxi in Atlanta maneuvered around a stopped bus, crossing into oncoming lanes to bypass it. Similar reports from Austin described vehicles that would slow down or come to a full stop when detecting a bus, only to start moving again and pass the bus before it was safe to do so.
Regulatory Scrutiny and Company Response
The NHTSA opened an investigation into the matter in October 2025 after reviewing footage of the Atlanta incident. Pressure mounted last week when Austin school officials sent a letter to Waymo urging the company to halt operations during student pickup and drop-off times. The district noted that five of the reported violations occurred even after Waymo deployed a preliminary software update on November 17.
Waymo Chief Safety Officer Mauricio Peña addressed the situation in a statement. He emphasized that while the company sees far fewer injury-causing crashes compared to human drivers, they recognize when their driving behavior requires improvement. Peña confirmed that the company decided to file the recall to ensure their vehicles appropriately slow and stop in these specific scenarios.
The Technical Fix
Unlike a traditional automotive recall that forces owners to bring cars to a dealership, this process involves a remote software update. Waymo manages its entire fleet, meaning no customer action is required. The company has already begun deploying updated software to correct the prediction error that led the computer to believe it was safe to proceed past the buses.
The NHTSA continues to monitor the situation and has requested detailed data from Waymo regarding these incidents. This recall marks another step in the federal agency’s increasing oversight of autonomous vehicle safety on public roads.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why is Waymo recalling its vehicles?
A. Waymo is updating its software because its autonomous vehicles were found to occasionally pass stopped school buses that had their stop signs extended, which is illegal and unsafe.
Q. Did any accidents happen because of this issue?
A. No. Waymo and local officials have confirmed that there were no collisions or injuries resulting from these specific incidents involving school buses.
Q. Do I need to return my Waymo vehicle?
A. No. Waymo owns and operates its entire fleet of robotaxis. The company applies the fix remotely through an over-the-air software update, so passengers do not need to do anything.
Q. Where did these incidents take place?
A. The reported incidents primarily occurred in Austin, Texas, and Atlanta, Georgia, leading to scrutiny from local school districts in those cities.
Q. Is the Waymo service shutting down?
A. No. The service remains operational. The recall is a software patch applied to the existing fleet to correct the specific driving behavior around school buses.
Q. What does the NHTSA say about this?
A. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently investigating the incidents. They have asked Waymo to provide detailed information on why the violations occurred and how the new software fixes the problem.
