Zoox, the autonomous vehicle subsidiary of Amazon, has issued its second voluntary software recall in less than a month, following a collision involving one of its unoccupied robotaxis and an e-scooter rider in San Francisco on May 8.
The incident occurred at low speed, with the Zoox vehicle reportedly yielding at an intersection when it was struck by the e-scooter. “The Zoox vehicle was stopped at the time of contact,” the company said in a statement. “The e-scooterist fell to the ground directly next to the vehicle. The robotaxi then began to move and stopped after completing the turn, but did not make further contact with the e-scooterist.”
The rider declined medical treatment for what Zoox described as minor injuries. The company said it has shared video and data with regulators and has already implemented a software update to improve perception tracking and prevent vehicle movement when vulnerable road users are nearby.
The recall comes just weeks after Zoox pulled approximately 270 vehicles from service following a crash in Las Vegas that raised concerns about the software’s ability to anticipate the movements of other road users. That incident involved a Zoox robotaxi and a passenger vehicle.
Earlier this year, in March, Zoox recalled 258 vehicles due to an issue with the autonomous system causing unexpected hard braking—an update prompted by two separate incidents in which motorcycles rear-ended Zoox test vehicles.
The latest San Francisco event has drawn comparisons to a more severe case involving General Motors-backed Cruise, which suspended operations after a pedestrian was dragged by one of its robotaxis. While no such injuries occurred in the Zoox incident, the robotaxi’s movement following initial contact has raised further safety questions.