SAN FRANCISCO, June 24 (San Francisco News Online) — Waymo has filed a voluntary recall covering 3,871 vehicles equipped with its fifth-generation automated driving system after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the software could let a vehicle enter a closed freeway construction zone and keep driving.
NHTSA said the condition increases the risk of a crash. The recall, campaign number 26E035000, covers U.S. vehicles nationwide.
The filing is especially relevant in the San Francisco Bay Area, where it says seven Waymo vehicles entered active freeway construction lanes on May 18 by driving between cones. The report also cites one Phoenix incident on April 11 and five more on April 19, including vehicles that drove past ramp closure signs into pre-planned freeway work zones.
Waymo said no collisions or injuries were reported in the incidents it reviewed.
The company told NHTSA the remedy is still under development. Until the software update is ready, Waymo said it has modified the scope of its operations to restrict freeway driving while it works to improve how the system detects construction zones and avoids entering them. Waymo said the repair will be provided free of charge.
In an email statement, Waymo said it had “recognized an opportunity for enhancement concerning performance near freeway construction sites.” The company also said it had “voluntarily limited” freeway operations while making improvements and had notified state and federal regulators.
Waymo said it continues to safely serve passengers on surface streets across the cities where it operates.
The recall comes as San Francisco and other Bay Area road agencies continue to manage freeway construction work that can shift lane patterns, close ramps and change traffic flow around major commuter routes. The federal filing does not say the problem was tied to a single construction project or a single local agency, but it does show the company had already seen Bay Area incidents before filing the recall.
NHTSA said the recall was based on its review of incidents involving closed freeway work zones and the company’s automated driving software. The agency said the risk is that the vehicle may enter a closure and continue through the area at speed.
