Waymo has halted highway operations for its autonomous robotaxi fleet following a series of incidents in which vehicles entered closed highway construction zones.
The company suspended highway service on May 19 and recalled approximately 4,000 vehicles, according to TechCrunch. Robotaxi service on surface streets will continue.
Federal records show 13 incidents involving the vehicles traveling into closed highway construction areas—six in Phoenix and seven more in the San Francisco Bay Area in May.
According to filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Waymo said its vehicles in Phoenix “did not recognize and drove past ramp closure signs into pre-planned freeway construction zones.”
In response the company’s Field Safety Committee suspended highway operations in Phoenix while engineers worked to address the issue.
Similar incidents occurred in the San Francisco Bay Area, where robotaxis entered active construction lanes after the software prioritized avoiding other roadway hazards or failed to properly recognize construction-zone conditions, TechCrunch reported.
Latest in a series of recalls
The action marks the sixth recall involving Waymo's autonomous fleet.
They company previously issued recalls in May after vehicles drove into flooded roadways, and in December to address behavior around stopped school buses. Other recalls addressed low-speed collisions involving chains, gates, utility poles and issues related to towed vehicles.
According to TechCrunch, Waymo’s driving software is also under investigation by both NHTSA and National Transportation Safety Board following an incident in January in which a child was struck near a school.
Waymo launched highway ride service in November 2025, and is planning to rollout operations in more than 20 cities this year.
Source: TechCrunch
