Mountain View's own Waymo has issued a recall for over 1,200 of its self-driving vehicles after a series of minor crashes with chains, gates, and other barriers prompted a review by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The recalled vehicles were operating on outdated fifth-generation software, and, according to a statement by the company, all the affected models have been updated with the latest version, reported by NBC Bay Area.
This recall comes on the heels of an investigation initiated by the NHTSA in May 2024 focusing on collisions involving Waymo self-driving vehicles that "involved collisions with clearly visible objects that a competent driver would be expected to avoid," as per Reuters. Waymo's quick response included a comprehensive update finished by December 26, 2024, demonstrating the agility of a company well-versed in the rapid cycles of software development.
The broader impact of self-driving technology's quest for safety was underscored by Waymo's statement that it "provides more than 250,000 paid trips every week in some of the most challenging driving environments in the U.S.," suggesting a confident stride towards the promise of reduced traffic mishaps. The company added, "Our record of reducing injuries over tens of millions of fully autonomous miles driven shows our technology is making roads safer," in contrast to earlier incidents, such as the serious injury caused by a Cruise vehicle to a pedestrian in 2023, per Reuters.
Waymo's challenges have not been unique in the industry. Last week, Amazon's self-driving unit, Zoox, agreed to recall 270 driverless vehicles after an incident in Las Vegas. Incidentally, Waymo had previously recalled 670 vehicles in June 2024 after one of its cars struck a utility pole, and in February 2024, it recalled 444 self-driving vehicles due to a software error related to predicting the movements of towed vehicles, reveals Reuters.
Customers owning the affected Waymo vehicles were advised that updates were already completed, as noted in the NHTSA's recall notice. Furthermore, Waymo assured they had addressed the issues with their latest sixth-generation self-driving software.
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