Last year in December, two Waymo robotaxis made contact with the same pickup truck being towed. This led to the recall of its software. In this case of Software recall, it means that they are rolling out a software update after investigating the issue and finding the cause of the accident.
The company revealed this information in a blog post, they said the company chose to do the voluntary recall after consulting with relevant agencies. This decision was reached after consulting with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and its internal review of two incidents that took place in Phoenix on Dec. 11, 2023. In the accident, Two Waymo robotaxis crashed into the same towed pickup truck within minutes of each other.
The two crashes only resulted in minor vehicle damage and no injuries to anyone, the company said in the post. At the time of the accident, there were no passengers in the vehicles.
A company spokesperson, Katherine Barna addressed this issue in a statement saying, Waymo’s automated driving system, or ADS, incorrectly predicted the “future motion of a towed vehicle,” and the company’s voluntary recall included updating its software. Barna also mentioned that the software recall was done when the cars were returned to the Waymo depot for regular maintenance and recharging, not over the air or through remote access.
The updates to the software were done on January, 12 and it did not interrupt Waymo’s ride-hailing service.
This recall from the company could face public pressure as people and government agencies are scrutinizing the autonomous vehicle fleets.
