Waymo to issue voluntary software recall after close calls
Waymo is issuing a voluntary software recall for its autonomous vehicles after multiple reports of the robotaxis passing parked school buses in Texas.
The company that produces the self-driving cars, which have taken to the streets of several U.S. cities, told ABC News in a statement Friday that it has decided to initiate a voluntary software recall after several close calls in Texas raised safety concerns about the vehicles.
"While we are incredibly proud of our strong safety record showing Waymo experiences twelve times fewer injury crashes involving pedestrians than human drivers, holding the highest safety standards means recognizing when our behavior should be better," Waymo's Chief Safety Officer Mauricio Peña said in a statement.
"As a result, we have made the decision to file a voluntary software recall with NHTSA related to appropriately slowing and stopping in these scenarios," Peña continued. "We will continue analyzing our vehicles' performance and making necessary fixes as part of our commitment to continuous improvement."
ABC News has learned Waymo will continue its operations for the time being. All Waymo vehicles have been remedied with updated software and will be monitored for additional updates as necessary.
The decision comes after some of the company's robotaxis were seen performing illegal maneuvers, such as passing stopped school buses in Texas.
The incidents in question were recorded by cameras mounted on school buses from the Austin Independent School District and prompted an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
According to school district officials, there have been at least 19 separate instances of Waymo vehicles passing stopped school buses since the school year began in August.
No injuries have been reported in connection with the incidents.
The NHTSA said in an Oct. 17 report that it was investigating "the performance of the Waymo ADS around stopped school buses, how the system is designed to comply with school bus traffic safety laws, and the system's ability to follow those traffic safety laws."
In a letter to Waymo dated Dec. 3, the NHTSA requested responses to a number of questions regarding the school bus incidents by Jan. 20, 2026.
Last week, Vishay Nihalani, Waymo director of product management told ABC News' Jaclyn Lee that the company had "analyzed the situation and implemented fixes so that such situations are much less likely to occur in the future."
Waymo says its cars are already safer than human drivers, and represent a fivefold reduction in injury related crashes.
The self-driving cars have been involved in other incidents that have gone viral online, including one in which a passenger on his way to the Phoenix Airport became trapped inside a Waymo vehicle driving in circles in a parking lot. The car eventually came to a stop after several minutes, according to the passenger, and he was able to exit the vehicle. Waymo later said the issue was addressed and fixed in "a regularly scheduled software update."
A video posted online last week also showed a Waymo driverless taxi driving a passenger into an apparent police standoff in downtown Los Angeles last week. A Waymo spokesperson said the vehicle was in the vicinity of the event for "no more than 15 seconds," telling ABC News in a statement, "Safety is our highest priority at Waymo, both for people who choose to ride with us and with whom we share the streets. When we encounter unusual events like this one, we learn from them as we continue improving road safety and operating in dynamic cities."
