Waymo Recalls Software for 3,791 Vehicles After Flood Incident

Waymo has issued a voluntary software recall affecting 3,791 autonomous vehicles after one of its unoccupied robotaxis was swept away by floodwaters in San Antonio, Texas, on April 20.

The incident occurred during heavy rain when the vehicle entered a flooded section of a higher-speed roadway, slowed but proceeded into untraversable standing water, and was carried into Salado Creek. The car was recovered days later with no injuries reported. A similar event took place about two weeks earlier near McCullough Avenue and Contour Drive in the same city. Following the April 20 crash, Waymo suspended all operations in San Antonio, its longest service stoppage there to date, while reviewing flood monitoring and safety protocols. The company plans to resume service this week.

Waymo filed the recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on April 30. It covers fifth- and sixth-generation automated driving systems deployed across its operating cities, including Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, San Antonio, and Atlanta. The software glitch prevented vehicles from fully avoiding flooded lanes on higher-speed roads despite slowing down.