Thousands of Self-Driving Cars Recalled After Vehicles Drove Through Construction Zones
Waymo issued a recall impacting nearly 4,000 of their self-driving cars after some of them drove through construction zones.
The company said in a federal filing that the autonomous vehicles may fail to recognize construction zones or avoid other hazards on the highway, per a report from Fox Business.
There was one event in Phoenix, Arizona, on April 11, as well as five on April 19, in which the cars reportedly drove into construction zones.
There were also seven cases in the San Francisco area in May, according to a report from KABC-TV.
Elliot Slade, a resident of the Bay Area, was in a Waymo when the vehicle entered a construction zone on Highway 101.
The recall comes after Waymo reviewed incidents that occurred in April and May in Phoenix and the San Francisco Bay Area.
The autonomous driving company temporarily restricted the robotaxis from driving on the freeway while it investigated the issue. https://t.co/zoMF4AJe91
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 18, 2026
“There were signs. There were lights. There were cones. And it went through the cones and then sped up straight away,” Slade told the outlet.
A highway patrol officer started chasing the Waymo he was riding.
“Shouting, ‘Stop Waymo. Stop Waymo. Stop Waymo.’ We’re like, ‘What the heck is going on’?” Slade recounted.
Slade added that he feared for his life during the incident.
“In that moment it’s like, oh this technology is not ready. This is 100% not ready,” he continued.
“If something else had gone wrong, someone in that road might have got hit. We might have crashed in the car.”
Recall alert: Waymo recalls 3,800 robotaxis after glitch caused vehicles to enter flooded roads https://t.co/d1XVEqDjyT pic.twitter.com/rv8YdttBks
— KIRO 7 (@KIRO7Seattle) May 13, 2026
Fox Business reported that Waymo will update their software in response to the incidents.
A representative for Waymo said in a statement that “Waymo’s mission is to be the world’s most trusted driver, and the data shows that we’re making roads safer in the communities in which we operate.”
“We identified an area of improvement regarding performance around freeway construction zones,” the company continued.
“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.”
“We continue to safely serve riders on surface streets in all the cities where we operate,” the statement said.
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