Waymo Recalls Fifth- and Sixth-Gen Self-Driving Systems After Vehicles Enter Flooded Roads

Waymo is recalling its fifth- and sixth-generation autonomous driving systems, affecting 3,791 vehicles. The recall stems from an incident in which a driverless taxi entered a flooded road segment that was impassable, despite the posted speed limit being 40 mph (approximately 64.4 km/h). Although the system detected the standing water, the vehicle continued forward at a low speed. No injuries were reported. Waymo has filed the necessary documentation with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and stated it is developing a fix. In the interim, the company has already upgraded vehicle software to strengthen driving restrictions in adverse weather conditions and updated onboard map data. This marks the first recall for the sixth-generation system since its launch earlier this year. Designed for high-volume production integration, the system is currently deployed on the Zeekr RT minivan (later named Ojai) and is slated for integration into the Hyundai Ioniq 5. Waymo’s current fleet of Jaguar I-Pace vehicles uses the fifth-generation system, introduced in March 2020, which has previously been subject to five recalls—for incidents including driving past stopped school buses and colliding with stationary obstacles. Waymo initially focused its operations on warm, dry cities such as Phoenix, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Austin. As it expands into East Coast cities like Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C., handling complex weather conditions has become a critical challenge. The company is currently in discussions with multiple automakers, including Toyota, regarding future vehicle collaborations.