Waymo Halts Operations in Five US Cities Following Flood-Related Software Glitch
Alphabet-owned Waymo has issued a voluntary recall and suspended services in several regions after robotaxis repeatedly entered standing water.
Primary source: BBC World News. Full source links, newsroom standards, and correction details are below.
Fast summary
Start here
- Waymo expanded a service pause to five cities including Atlanta and four locations in Texas following an unoccupied car getting trapped in floodwater.
- The company issued a voluntary recall of nearly 3,800 robotaxis equipped with fifth and sixth-generation automated driving systems.
- A software glitch was identified that allows vehicles to slow down and then drive into standing water on higher-speed roadways.
What happened
Waymo has suspended its autonomous vehicle operations in five U.S. cities following reports of robotaxis driving into flooded areas. The decision comes after an unoccupied vehicle became trapped in floodwater in Atlanta on Wednesday, raising fresh concerns about the system's ability to recognize environmental hazards.
What's new in this update
The company has expanded its temporary pause from a single location to five cities—four in Texas and one in Georgia—citing an abundance of caution. Additionally, Waymo has temporarily suspended freeway services in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Miami while it evaluates vehicle performance in construction zones.
Key details
A letter filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed a software issue that could cause vehicles to slow down and then enter standing water on higher-speed roads. This has led to a voluntary recall of 3,786 robotaxis equipped with Waymo's fifth and sixth-generation automated driving systems. Waymo stated it is currently working on additional software safeguards to mitigate the issue.
Background and context
The software flaw was previously linked to an April incident in San Antonio, Texas, where an empty Waymo vehicle was swept into a creek. These events follow a pattern of technical hurdles for the self-driving industry; in December 2025, a power outage in San Francisco caused significant disruption to Waymo's fleet, and mass outages have affected competitors like Apollo Go in China.
What to watch next
Waymo is monitoring forecasts and live weather conditions to determine when it will resume serving riders in the affected cities. The company, which facilitates over 500,000 trips weekly, expects to resume freeway routes soon. Meanwhile, its plans to launch a robotaxi service in London later this year remain on the horizon as the firm prioritizes software validation.
Why this matters
The recall highlights persistent safety challenges in autonomous vehicle software, specifically the difficulty of navigating unpredictable weather events and environmental hazards.
Reader context
This story belongs to Northstar Herald's world coverage, with related entities including Waymo, Alphabet, Autonomous Vehicles, NHTSA. The report is based on BBC World News source material.
Related coverage
Why it matters
The recall highlights persistent safety challenges in autonomous vehicle software, specifically the difficulty of navigating unpredictable weather events and environmental hazards.
Read next
Follow this story through the topic hub, more world coverage, and the latest updates.
Weekly briefing
Get the week's key developments in one concise email.
Get a fast catch-up on the biggest stories, the context behind them, and the links worth your time.
Cadence
Weekly, for a quick catch-up
Coverage
AI, business, world, security, sports
Format
Clear takeaways and useful context
Request the briefing
Leave your email to open a prepared request and get on the list for the weekly briefing.
Author
The world desk follows geopolitics, humanitarian crises, diplomacy, and major international developments with an emphasis on fast updates and public-interest context.
Sources and methodology