Waymo recalls 3,871 robotaxis over highway construction zone risk

Waymo is recalling 3,871 robotaxis in the United States after federal safety regulators said a software flaw could let some vehicles drive into closed freeway construction zones and continue at speed. The action puts a sharp spotlight on one of the hardest tests for autonomous driving: not open highways in ideal conditions, but the messy, temporary changes that road crews and lane closures create every day.

The recall covers certain vehicles equipped with Waymo’s 5th-generation automated driving system that were produced from March 17, 2022, through April 20, 2026. NHTSA said the software issue could cause a robotaxi to enter a closed freeway construction zone and keep driving, creating crash risk for passengers, road workers and others nearby. Waymo said the final fix will be a software update that detects where the vehicle is and keeps it out of construction zones, and that the remedy will be provided free of charge.

Waymo has already taken an interim step by restricting freeway driving while it works on the permanent update. NHTSA said all affected vehicles received that interim software change by April 20, 2026. In its recall paperwork, Waymo said it owns all of the potentially affected vehicles, a detail that gives regulators a direct line to the fleet as they press for a fix.

The recall follows at least 13 instances in which Waymo robotaxis drove into highway sections closed for construction. Waymo’s Safety Board reviewed the problem on April 24, 2026, and decided to conduct the recall after the company identified the issue through its own safety processes. That sequence underscores how much pressure now sits on the industry to catch edge cases before they reach public roads, especially as robotaxis expand into more cities and more complex traffic environments.

It also comes just weeks after another Waymo recall in May 2026 involving 3,791 robotaxis that could drive into standing water on higher-speed roadways. Together, the two actions suggest that the company’s software still needs to catch up with the unpredictable realities of American roads, where construction barrels, lane shifts and flooded pavement can quickly turn a routine trip into a safety problem.