News EVs and Transportation Waymo recalls over 3,800 robotaxis that might drive onto closed freeways The company is working on a fix and has restricted freeway driving. By Steve Dent June 18, 2026 7:15 am EST Waymo Waymo is recalling over 3,800 of its self-driving taxis due to a software issue that could cause them to enter closed freeway construction zones at speed, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Admininstration (NHTSA) bulletin seen by Reuters . The company is reportedly working on a fix and has "restricted freeway driving," the NHTSA safety notice states. Waymo reported that at least 13 of its robotaxis drove into highway sections that were closed for construction, according to TechCrunch . Six incidents happened in Phoenix, Arizona, while seven took place in San Francisco last month. "We identified an area of improvement regarding performance around freeway construction zones," Waymo told Engadget 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." The company has previously noted that such recalls are a notice of intent to fix the related software issue and don't mean that vehicles are taken off the road. Waymo's Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis were first allowed to hit freeways in Phoenix in 2024, first with employees then paying customers. Prior to that, the cars could only run on highways with a safety driver aboard. The company released a video at the time showing how its vehicle would navigate freeways.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2197051/waymo-recalls-3800-robotaxis-that-might-drive-onto-closed-freeways/
"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." The company has previously noted that such recalls are a notice of intent to fix the related software issue and don't mean that vehicles are taken off the road. Waymo's Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis were first allowed to hit freeways in Phoenix in 2024, first with employees then paying customers. Prior to that, the cars could only run on highways with a safety driver aboard. The company released a video at the time showing how its vehicle would navigate freeways.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2197051/waymo-recalls-3800-robotaxis-that-might-drive-onto-closed-freeways/