Waymo Recalls Self-Driving Software After Robotaxis Illegally Passed Stopped School Buses; NHTSA Investigates Safety

Waymo Recalls Self-Driving Software Amidst School Bus Incidents and NHTSA Scrutiny

Waymo, the autonomous vehicle subsidiary of Alphabet, is voluntarily recalling software for its robotaxis. This decision follows numerous reports of its self-driving cars illegally passing stopped school buses, prompting an ongoing investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

NHTSA Investigation Prompted by Safety Concerns

The NHTSA initiated its inquiry in October after a media report highlighted a Waymo autonomous vehicle (AV) failing to halt for a school bus that had its red lights flashing and stop arms deployed. Further reports corroborated these concerns, including a video aired by WXIA-TV in Atlanta showing a Waymo vehicle bypassing a school bus.

A significant revelation came from the Austin Independent School District, which formally documented 19 instances where Waymo vehicles "illegally and dangerously" passed their school buses. One particularly alarming account detailed a Waymo AV driving past a stopped bus mere moments after a student had crossed in front of it and was still in the roadway.

Waymo's Response and Software Fix

In a statement to NPR, Mauricio Peña, Waymo's Chief Safety Officer, acknowledged the incidents. While expressing pride in the company's safety record, Peña emphasized the importance of recognizing areas for improvement to uphold the highest safety standards. Waymo plans to file the voluntary software recall with the NHTSA early next week.

The company states it has identified a specific software issue that contributed to these occurrences and is confident that subsequent updates will rectify the problem. Importantly, Waymo noted that no injuries have been reported as a result of these particular incidents.

Balancing Safety Claims with Regulatory Demands

Despite these recent challenges, Waymo continues to highlight its overall safety performance. The company asserts that its driverless cars have significantly reduced crashes in operational cities—claiming a 91% decrease in serious injury crashes and a 92% decrease in pedestrian injury crashes compared to human-driven vehicles. Independent analyses from publications like Ars Technica and the Understanding AI newsletter have also supported Waymo's claims regarding the superior safety of its AVs.

However, federal regulators are pressing for more detailed information. Given that Waymo's AVs logged over 100 million miles by July and continue to accumulate 2 million miles weekly, NHTSA suspects a high likelihood of other similar, previously undocumented incidents. The agency recently submitted a comprehensive list of questions to Waymo, requesting documentation of all similar occurrences and an account of the company's responses, with a deadline set for January 20, 2026. This ongoing oversight underscores the critical balance between advancing autonomous technology and ensuring robust public safety.