Waymo Recalls Nearly 4,000 Robotaxis After 13 Highway Construction Zone Incidents

Waymo has issued a voluntary software recall covering nearly 4,000 robotaxis after several vehicles entered closed highway construction zones in Phoenix and the San Francisco Bay Area, forcing the company to restrict freeway operations while it works on a fix.
 

TL;DR

• Waymo recalled about 3,900 robotaxis after 13 incidents involving closed freeway construction zones.
• Six incidents took place in Phoenix in April, while seven occurred in the San Francisco Bay Area in May.
• The company paused all freeway operations on May 19 but continues running robotaxis on surface streets.
• Waymo says a fix is under development and that it proactively notified state and federal regulators
• The recall adds to earlier Waymo safety actions involving flooded roads, school buses, low-speed obstacles, and towed trucks.

Waymo Pulls Robotaxis From Highways After Construction Zone Incidents

Waymo’s autonomous ride-hailing ambitions have run into another real-world edge case, highway construction zones.

The Alphabet-owned company has recalled nearly 4,000 robotaxis after identifying at least 13 instances where its vehicles drove into freeway areas that had been closed for construction. Six of those incidents happened in Phoenix, Arizona, in April, while seven were reported in San Francisco, California, in May.

According to filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Waymo pulled its robotaxis from all highways on May 19. The company is not taking the vehicles off the road completely and continues to operate on surface streets, although it has paused service at times during severe weather that could lead to flooding.

“We identified an area of improvement regarding performance around freeway construction zones,” Waymo said in a statement. “We voluntarily restricted freeway operations last month while making improvements, proactively notified state and federal regulators, and decided to file a voluntary software recall with NHTSA.”
 

Waymo’s Software Struggled With Ramp Closure Signs And Highway Hazards

The issue appears to center on how Waymo’s driving software handled freeway closures and competing road hazards.

Waymo began offering highway rides in November 2025. In mid-April, the company told NHTSA that its robotaxis “did not recognize and drove past ramp closure signs into pre-planned freeway construction zones” in Phoenix. After reviewing the incidents, Waymo’s Field Safety Committee restricted freeway operations in the city while the company worked on improvements.

The problem resurfaced in the San Francisco Bay Area on May 18, when seven Waymo vehicles entered highway lanes under active construction. NHTSA documents said the software was “prioritizing the avoidance of other freeway hazards and/or failing to recognize the construction zone.” Waymo suspended all freeway driving the next day, and its safety board decided to issue the recall on June 8.

Some of the incidents also spread across social media. On May 19, X user @Elliot_slade posted footage claiming a Waymo “blasted through cones” and was “chased” by police.

“There were construction signs,” Slade told CBS News last month. “There were lights going on. Police in the distance and it sped up. That’s when I looked at my fiancée, we’re done. This is it. We’re dead. We’re going to die right here in the Waymo.”

Waymo reportedly offered Slade three free rides worth up to $40 each.
 

Waymo’s Robotaxi Recall Adds To Flooding And School Bus Safety Scrutiny

This is Waymo’s sixth robotaxi recall, and it comes during a period of increased scrutiny for autonomous vehicle safety.

In May, the company recalled vehicles after they drove into flooded roads. In December, it issued another recall to address illegal behavior around school buses. Previous recalls covered low-speed collisions with chains, gates, telephone poles, and issues involving towed trucks.

The company is also under investigation by the NHTSA and National Transportation Safety Board over robotaxi behavior around school buses, following an incident in January where one of its vehicles struck a child near a school.

Flooding has also become a recurring operational challenge. A recent video from Dallas showed a Waymo stuck in high water at Fitzhugh and Capitol Avenues, while earlier heavy rain in the Valley forced Waymo to temporarily suspend service. Social media posts also showed autonomous SUVs stuck in floodwater in central Phoenix.

“We are coordinating closely with local officials and our teams are working diligently to support riders and remove affected vehicles from the roadways,” a Waymo spokesperson said at the time.
 

Waymo’s Expansion Plans Now Face A Harder Safety Test

The recall arrives as Waymo is scaling aggressively. The company says its vehicles have driven more than 170 million autonomous miles and claims a 13x reduction in serious-injury-or-worse crashes compared with human drivers.

Waymo is also planning to launch in more than 20 cities this year, including London and Tokyo. However, its expansion is exposing more unusual road scenarios that autonomous software must handle reliably.

For now, Waymo’s robotaxis are still moving through city streets. Its bigger challenge is proving they can safely return to highways, where construction zones, sudden closures, flashing lights, cones, police activity, and weather can turn routine routes into unpredictable tests.