Story perspectives

Waymo Recalls 3,791 Robotaxis Over Flood-Driving Defect

5/13/2026

Summary

Waymo Flood Recall

Waymo recalled 3,791 vehicles after a defect could cause them to drive into water.
The defect, present in the 5th and 6th Generation ADS, let cars continue into water on roads.
Waymo reported the defect on May 1 2026.
NHTSA acknowledged the recall on May 11 2026 after a robotaxi entered an “untraversable flooded section” on April 20 2026.
Waymo must file eight quarterly and three annual reports with NHTSA while developing a fix.

Summary

Waymo Halts

The company halted rides in San Antonio after a flooded-road incident and has not resumed service.
Its autonomous fleet operates in 11 U.S. markets and delivers over 500,000 trips each week.
Critics have recorded failures to yield to school buses in Austin and gridlock during San Francisco power outages.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is probing a child-strike near a Santa Monica school and school-bus stop violations by the company's vehicles.

Summary

Waymo Recall Surge

Waymo's recall filing disclosed 3,791 vehicles, nearly doubling the 2,000-vehicle count announced in September 2025.
The over-the-air recall patches software without dealer visits and is touted as a safety-compliance model.
Waymo's $16 billion funding round valued it at $126 billion, showing strong investor backing despite the recall.
Waymo provides about 500,000 weekly rides in ten U.S. cities, targets one million rides by year-end 2026, and tests a rollout inside Houston’s 610 Loop.

History

Historical Context

In 2018 a pedestrian was killed by an Uber self-driving car in Tempe, Arizona, prompting Uber to suspend all autonomous testing worldwide. The crash marked the first recorded autonomous-vehicle fatality since Google’s Waymo earned its 2011 public-road license, underscoring how 2010s rapid testing and shared-mobility growth have drawn heightened regulatory attention.

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Waymo Flood Recall

Waymo recalled 3,791 vehicles after a defect could cause them to drive into water.
The defect, present in the 5th and 6th Generation ADS, let cars continue into water on roads.
Waymo reported the defect on May 1 2026.
NHTSA acknowledged the recall on May 11 2026 after a robotaxi entered an “untraversable flooded section” on April 20 2026.
Waymo must file eight quarterly and three annual reports with NHTSA while developing a fix.

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