A Waymo robotaxi got stuck for more than 10 minutes on a flooded Phoenix street Wednesday, caught in what witnesses described as an “AI loop” — inching forward, then backward, then forward again — before nearly reversing into a trailing vehicle. The moment was captured on eyewitness video as flooding affected parts of the Phoenix metro area, leaving at least one autonomous vehicle in the middle of it.
Footage of the incident, reported by the New York Post, shows the confused robotaxi hesitating repeatedly as it tried to navigate the flooded roadway. According to Yahoo News, two Waymo vehicles were actually caught up in the standoff, holding up traffic behind them — one eventually managed to pass through the flooded stretch, while the other remained stuck, rocking back and forth as it tried and failed to find a way around the water.
Flooding Affects Parts of the Valley
The wet September day brought flooding to parts of the Phoenix metro area. The conditions left parts of the Valley dealing with flooded streets.
Conditions like these are exactly the kind of scenario that has repeatedly tripped up Waymo's autonomous systems. The company previously suspended operations across metro Phoenix in September 2025 due to severe flash flooding, according to KTAR News — an earlier weather-driven service halt in the Valley. During severe storms, Waymo notifies app users that service is temporarily paused to avoid hazardous road conditions, the outlet reported.
Not the First Time Water Has Tripped Up Waymo's Software
Wednesday's flooded-street standoff echoes a far more serious episode from earlier this year. On April 20, 2026, an unoccupied Waymo robotaxi drove into floodwaters in San Antonio, Texas, and was swept into Salado Creek, according to KENS 5. Waymo paused its San Antonio robotaxi service following that incident while it developed interim software constraints — a story Hoodline covered in “Waymo Paused In San Antonio.”
That San Antonio incident triggered a voluntary safety recall Waymo filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in May 2026, covering 3,791 vehicles. NHTSA's report on the recall noted that a software defect had allowed robotaxis to slow down but still proceed into untraversable flooded lanes on higher-speed roads, warning that entering flooded roads creates a significant risk of loss of vehicle control. Hoodline also reported on a separate stall at a Miami-Dade condo entrance in “Waymo Robotaxi Stalls At Miami-Dade Condo Entrance.”
A Pattern of Software Recalls Beyond Flooding
Flooded roads aren't the only navigation hazard that has forced Waymo back to the drawing board this year. In June 2026, the company filed a second recall with NHTSA covering nearly 3,900 robotaxis after more than a dozen incidents in Arizona and California where vehicles drove past ramp closures into active freeway construction zones, according to Claims Journal. That construction-zone problem forced Waymo to briefly restrict freeway operations until an over-the-air software update was developed.
Phoenix is one of Waymo's markets. The city has also seen other Waymo incidents this year, including one detailed in Hoodline's “North Phoenix Pub Brawl” report.
Weighing the Glitches Against Waymo's Safety Record
Waymo has pointed to its broader safety record when incidents like Wednesday's go viral. Waymo has logged fully autonomous driverless miles across its operational cities, while NHTSA has also been involved in recalls and investigations concerning Waymo vehicles. The company has also emphasized safety in describing its autonomous driver.
In January 2026, NHTSA opened a preliminary evaluation after a driverless Waymo robotaxi struck a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica, California. Waymo commented on the incident.
Arizona's Flood Rules Raise Accountability Questions
The flooded-street standoff also raises questions about accountability when vehicles encounter flooding.
The episode, along with reports of robotaxis struggling in standing water across multiple cities, points to an ongoing tension between rapid commercial deployment of self-driving technology and the environmental hazards it still hasn't fully mastered. Wednesday's flooded Phoenix street was, for at least one Waymo vehicle stuck rocking back and forth in the water, simply the latest test it failed to pass cleanly.
