Phoenix: Waymo Recalls 3,871 Robotaxis After Self-Driving Cars Entered Freeway Construction Zones

Driverless taxis drove past barricades six times in Phoenix

Waymo is recalling 3,871 self-driving vehicles across the United States after its robotaxis repeatedly entered closed freeway construction zones. Six of the 13 known incidents occurred in Phoenix, according to a voluntary recall filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Wednesday.

The recall affects vehicles equipped with Waymo's fifth-generation automated driving system. The company pulled all its robotaxis from freeway operations on May 19 while engineers work on a software fix.

"We identified an area of improvement regarding performance around freeway construction zones," a Waymo spokesperson told Business Insider. "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."

What happened on Phoenix freeways

Federal records describe the Phoenix incidents in detail. On April 11, one Waymo vehicle drove past a ramp-closure sign and into a planned freeway construction zone. Five more incidents occurred on April 19, when additional vehicles failed to recognize the same type of closure signage.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, seven Waymo vehicles entered freeway lanes with active construction on May 18. Those cars drove between cones marking a lane closure in an adjacent lane, according to the NHTSA filing.

The recall documents state the vehicles may have inappropriately prioritized avoiding other freeway hazards. They may have also simply failed to recognize the construction zone.

No crashes reported, but the risk remains

Waymo and NHTSA did not report any crashes or injuries resulting from the 13 incidents. The recall filing notes that driving into closed construction areas at freeway speeds increases the risk of a crash.

Waymo's Safety Board reviewed the issue on June 1 and decided on June 8 to conduct the recall. NHTSA acknowledged the recall on June 17.

The remedy is still under development. Waymo said it will update its automated driving software so vehicles can detect when they are in a construction zone and avoid entering one. The company also said it will add operational protocols. Because Waymo owns the affected vehicles, the company told regulators it would apply the fix itself.

This is the sixth recall for Waymo

This is the sixth recall Waymo has issued for its robotaxi fleet. The second recall this year came in May, after a vehicle drove into a flooded street in San Antonio and got stuck.

Waymo is also under investigation by federal safety regulators following a January incident in which one of its robotaxis struck a child near a Santa Monica elementary school.

Despite these setbacks, Waymo remains the largest commercial robotaxi operator in the United States. The company continues to serve riders on surface streets in all cities where it operates, including Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin.

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

Waymo has plans to expand to more than 20 cities this year. The company is also preparing for international launches in London and Tokyo.

What Phoenix riders should know

Riders in Phoenix can still request Waymo trips on city streets. Freeway rides remain suspended until the software update is deployed. Waymo has not provided a timeline for when freeway operations will resume.

The affected systems were produced from March 17, 2022, to May 19, 2026, according to the recall filing. The recalled systems are the only ones capable of driverless freeway operation.