Waymo recalls more than a thousand robot taxis due to repeated collisions with obstacles
Waymo has had problems with the performance of its self-driving cars. The company announced a recall of 1,212 robotaxis to troubleshoot minor accidents.
Here's What We Know
The unmanned taxis are apparently having trouble detecting certain obstacles. And we're not talking about isolated cases - the recall covers a significant portion of Waymo's fleet, operating in several major US cities.
The good news is that the problem concerns low-speed collisions. According to documents filed with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Waymo vehicles with version five of the Automated Driving System (ADS) software have difficulty recognising stationary and semi-static objects such as barriers and chains.
The NHTSA launched an investigation in May 2024 after seven incidents in which Waymo's autonomous cars crashed into gates and chains. By the end of the year, the company reported nine more such incidents. There was no news of any injuries.
Interestingly, the recall was issued after the fault had been fixed. According to the report, Waymo released a software update for the entire fleet and its installation was completed by 26 December.
This is not Waymo's first recall related to ADS performance. In February 2024, the company recalled 444 vehicles due to problems with detecting when a towed vehicle was nearby. There was another recall in June, with ADS failing to recognise poles and similar objects.
Despite the recent recall, the NHTSA's investigation into Waymo's ADS technology continues.
Source: InsideEVs
