Waymo is voluntarily recalling the software that powers its robotaxi fleet after two vehicles crashed into the same tow truck in Phoenix, Arizona, in December. It is the company’s first recall.
Waymo’s chief safety officer, Mauricio Peña, described the crashes as “minor” in one suspension, and said no vehicles were carrying passengers at the time. There were no injuries. He also said that Waymo’s ride-hailing service — which is live in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Austin — “is not interrupted and has not been interrupted by this update.” The company declined to share video of the crashes with TechCrunch.
Waymo said it developed, tested and validated a fix for the software it began deploying to its fleet on Dec. 20. All of her robotaxis received this software update by January 12th.
“This voluntary recall reflects how seriously we take our responsibility to safely develop our technology and communicate transparently with the public,” Peña wrote.
The recall comes at a time when self-driving cars are facing intense scrutiny after a series of high-profile accidents and controversies — including one last week where a Waymo robot hit a cyclist. Last weekend, a self-driving Waymo vehicle was vandalized and burned by a crowd in San Francisco. Rival Cruise, meanwhile, has suspended operations as it deals with the aftermath of an accident last October. It hired its first security officer this week.
The accidents that prompted the recall both occurred on December 11. Peña wrote that one of Waymo’s vehicles encountered a rear-facing truck that was “improperly towed.” The truck was “persistently pointed in a center turn lane and a traffic lane.” Peña said the robotaxi “mispredicted the future movement of the tow vehicle” because of this mismatch between the orientation of the trailer and the pickup, and made contact. The company told TechCrunch that this caused minor damage to the front left bumper.
The tow truck did not stop, however, according to Peña, and just minutes later another Waymo robotaxi made contact with the same towed truck. The company told TechCrunch that this caused minor damage to the front left bumper and a sensor. (The trailer stopped after the second collision.)
Waymo said it contacted the Phoenix Police Department and the Arizona Department of Public Safety on the day of the crashes and notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Dec. 15. The company and NHTSA staff had “four subsequent conversations” about the crash before Waymo decided to voluntarily recall the software it was using at the time.
The recall could increase public pressure on Waymo as cities, citizens and government agencies scrutinize the promise of autonomous vehicle fleets. Robotaxis is already facing pushback in Los Angeles, including from the Teamsters union. The California Department of Motor Vehicles is already investigating the aforementioned Waymo accident with a bicyclist. And the Justice Department and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, among others, are investigating Cruise’s handling of its October crash.
