Waymo has issued a voluntary recall affecting nearly 4,000 robotaxis after identifying incidents in which its autonomous vehicles entered highway sections closed for construction.
The Alphabet-owned autonomous driving company said it has temporarily restricted freeway operations across its fleet while developing software improvements to address the issue.
According to filings submitted to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Waymo identified 13 incidents involving robotaxis driving into highway construction zones between April and May.
Incidents Occurred in Arizona and California
The company reported six incidents in Phoenix, Arizona, during April and seven incidents in the San Francisco Bay Area in May.
Waymo said its vehicles either failed to recognize highway closure signs or prioritized avoiding other roadway hazards while approaching active construction areas.
Following an internal review, the company suspended freeway operations in Phoenix and later expanded the restriction to all markets on May 19.
The vehicles continue to operate on city streets and other approved routes.
Software Update Under Development
Waymo said a software fix is currently being developed and that the recall does not require vehicles to be removed from service.
“We identified an area of improvement regarding performance around freeway construction zones,” the company said in a statement.
“We voluntarily restricted freeway operations last month while making improvements, proactively notified state and federal regulators, and decided to file a voluntary software recall with NHTSA.”
The company said the issue relates specifically to how the autonomous driving system interprets and responds to certain freeway construction scenarios.
Latest in Series of Software Recalls
The construction-zone recall is the sixth recall issued by Waymo for its autonomous vehicle fleet.
Earlier this year, the company recalled vehicles after some robotaxis entered flooded roadways during severe weather.
In December, Waymo issued another recall related to vehicle behavior around school buses.
Previous software updates have also addressed low-speed collisions involving gates, chains, telephone poles, and towed vehicles.
Regulatory Scrutiny Continues
Waymo’s autonomous driving technology remains under review by U.S. safety regulators.
The NHTSA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the company’s vehicle behavior around school buses following an incident in January in which a robotaxi reportedly struck a child near a school.
The latest recall is expected to add to ongoing regulatory scrutiny as autonomous vehicle operators expand commercial deployments.
Expansion Continues Despite Challenges
Waymo has rapidly expanded its robotaxi operations across the United States and internationally.
The company began offering autonomous freeway rides in late 2025 and says its vehicles have accumulated more than 170 million autonomous miles.
Waymo has stated that its safety data shows a 13-fold reduction in crashes involving serious injuries compared with human drivers.
The company is currently planning expansions into more than 20 additional cities, including London and Tokyo, as it scales commercial robotaxi services.
Real-World Testing Highlights Edge Cases
The incidents underscore the challenges autonomous vehicle developers face as they deploy self-driving systems in increasingly complex traffic environments.
Construction zones, temporary traffic controls, emergency responders, and changing road conditions have long been considered among the most difficult scenarios for autonomous driving systems to interpret reliably.
Videos shared on social media appeared to show some of the incidents, including one case in which a robotaxi reportedly drove through traffic cones in an active construction area before being approached by police.
The recall highlights how autonomous vehicle operators continue to refine software systems as commercial robotaxi services expand into new cities and operating environments.