Story perspectives

Waymo suspends service, recalls 3,800 robots after floods

5/23/2026

Summary

Waymo Suspends Service

Waymo suspended service in Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Nashville and Atlanta after vehicles entered flooded roads.
It recalled roughly 3,800 robotaxis to add a software patch that blocks entry into standing water and halted all freeway operations nationwide over construction-zone performance concerns.
Waymo, which logs over 500,000 weekly trips, said safety is its top priority and expects to resume service in the affected cities and on freeways soon.

Summary

Waymo Pauses Service

Waymo’s app lists Nashville service as paused, confirming the suspension spreads beyond Atlanta and Texas.
Derek Gloudemans, a Vanderbilt University research scientist, said the flood video shows AI’s long-tail problem with rare extreme scenarios.
The National Weather Service warned of severe thunderstorms, gusty winds and flash-flood risk across Texas, Louisiana and the central-eastern U.S. for the holiday weekend.
Waymo confirmed the stranded Atlanta vehicle was unoccupied and later recovered.

History

Historical Context

In March 2018, an Uber self-driving vehicle struck pedestrian Elaine Herzberg in Tempe, prompting Governor Doug Ducey to suspend the company's testing in Arizona and Uber to halt trials in four cities. The crash spurred tighter state oversight and NHTSA reporting rules, while Waymo’s series of incidents—including about 30 injury crashes by early 2025—has led to software recalls and heightened regulatory scrutiny in 2024.

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Waymo Suspends Service

Waymo suspended service in Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Nashville and Atlanta after vehicles entered flooded roads.
It recalled roughly 3,800 robotaxis to add a software patch that blocks entry into standing water and halted all freeway operations nationwide over construction-zone performance concerns.
Waymo, which logs over 500,000 weekly trips, said safety is its top priority and expects to resume service in the affected cities and on freeways soon.

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