A Waymo self-driving van appeared to inch through the intersection of Kirkman Road and Carrier Drive on a red light on Sunday, continuing despite cross traffic and changing lanes mid-intersection as the signal turned green, according to a video posted to Threads. The clip, captured near Universal Orlando, has racked up more than 670,000 views, 10,000 likes and hundreds of comments, stirring fresh worries among Central Florida residents about the safety of the driverless vans now sharing the road with them.
The video was posted by Threads user @melisaunfiltered and quickly spread, as reported by News 6. It wasn't the only questionable sighting shared online: another social media user posted a photo that appeared to show an identical Waymo van stopped at a green light on Sand Lake Road days earlier, seemingly refusing to move.
Not every Waymo sighting in the area has raised alarms. A News 6 crew that observed several Waymo cars and vans operating in the tourist district said the vehicles appeared to be following traffic signals safely, and none carried the same license plate as the vehicle seen in the viral video.
Waymo Says It's Investigating
Waymo told News 6 it was investigating the incident and working to answer the station's questions, though the company has not yet detailed what its review has found. News 6 also asked Waymo whether its Central Florida vehicles had been recalled, removed from service, or otherwise pulled from circulation — a question that remains unanswered. The station says it plans to update its reporting as it learns more from the company.
Waymo welcomed its first public riders in Orlando on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, according to Spectrum News 13. The service covers roughly 60 square miles, stretching from just north of downtown Orlando nearly to Walt Disney World, with a couple dozen outfitted Jaguar I-PACE vehicles assigned to the area. Notably, the vans do not operate on freeways, including Interstate 4, and currently offer no airport access.
A Pattern Of Recalls
This isn't the first time Waymo's software has come under scrutiny. The company's most recent recall wave came in June, when nearly 3,900 robotaxis were recalled in the U.S. over the risk of entering closed freeway construction zones, according to Reuters. That recall followed more than a dozen incidents in California and Arizona since early April in which the vehicles failed to recognize ramp-closure signs and drove into closed freeway construction zones, according to Reuters. Waymo said at the time that it had voluntarily restricted freeway operations while improving how its software responds to freeway closures, and a recall notice filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states the company would update its driving software to detect and avoid construction zones at no cost to operators.
Red-light troubles aren't unique to Orlando, either. A FOX 4 viewer in Dallas captured a Waymo vehicle entering an intersection against a red light and navigating through moving traffic without a reported collision or injury, according to FOX4 Dallas-Fort Worth. Waymo told that station the traffic light had appeared heavily dimmed from the vehicle's vantage point and that it was addressing the issue. The Dallas episode came after Waymo robotaxis across Texas faced broader scrutiny tied to traffic signals, construction barricades and school buses.
Broader Safety Record Under Review
Waymo has pointed to its overall safety data in response to such incidents, telling CNN that its robotaxis are 13 times less likely to be involved in serious-injury crashes than human-driven vehicles. Still, CNN's review of roughly 1,200 collisions that Waymo self-reported to the federal government found the company has recalled thousands of vehicles and paused operations in multiple cities, including after robotaxis drove into flooded streets. Waymo's own messaging emphasizes that trust and safety are paramount to the company, per its website.
For now, the questions raised by the viral Orlando clip remain open. It's unclear why the van entered the Kirkman Road and Carrier Drive intersection against the red signal, whether that specific vehicle has been pulled from service, or how it connects to the earlier Sand Lake Road and Kirkman Road sightings. News 6 says it will continue pressing Waymo for answers as the investigation continues.
