SAN FRANCISCO, June 24 (San Francisco News Online) — Waymo has filed a voluntary recall covering 3,871 U.S. vehicles equipped with its fifth-generation automated driving system after federal regulators said the software could let a self-driving vehicle enter a closed freeway construction zone and keep driving.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that driving through a closed construction zone increases the risk of a crash. The recall is listed as campaign number 26E035000.
Waymo said the remedy is being developed and that, for now, it has modified its operations to restrict freeway driving.
The company said it will update the automated driving system software so the vehicles can better detect construction zones and avoid entering them. Waymo said the repair will be provided free of charge.
The filing ties the recall to incidents in Arizona and California, including the San Francisco Bay Area. According to the recall report, one incident was reviewed from April 11 in Phoenix, five more from April 19 in Phoenix, and seven from May 18 in the San Francisco Bay Area, where vehicles drove into active freeway construction lanes.
The recalled vehicles are part of the company’s 5th Generation Automated Driving System, which is used in Waymo’s driverless fleet. The recall covers vehicles across the United States, not just California.
Waymo said it had already limited freeway operations last month while making improvements and had notified state and federal regulators before filing the voluntary recall with NHTSA.
In a statement quoted by CNBC, Waymo said it had “identified an area of improvement regarding performance around freeway construction zones.” The company also said it continued to safely serve passengers on surface streets in the cities where it operates.
Waymo said the incidents it reviewed did not include collisions or injuries. The recall filing said the company’s software may allow a vehicle to enter a closed freeway construction zone and continue driving at speed.
The federal report was dated June 12. The source materials reviewed for the recall did not specify when the software update will be completed, but the company said the fix will be rolled out without charge once it is ready.
