Waymos Recalled for Driving Into Construction ZonesAustin American-Statesman/Hearst Newspapers - Getty ImagesWaymo is recalling nearly 4000 autonomous rideshare vehicles after the California-based tech company's fifth-generation driving system repeatedly entered closed freeway construction zones.The recall, which was filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on June 17, includes 3871 Jaguar I-Pace units and focuses on Waymo's operating software. Federal regulators estimate that 100 percent of the 3871 units are liable to suffer from the issue.The core of the issue lies in the driving programming, which is tuned to prioritize avoiding other freeway hazards over closed construction areas, according to recall documents. "Under certain circumstances, the AV may enter and drive at speed in freeway construction zones due to inappropriately prioritizing the avoidance of other freeway hazards and/or failing to recognize the construction zone," the recall notice reads.CHARLY TRIBALLEAU - Getty ImagesThe Mountain View-headquartered company first became aware of the problem on April 20, when Waymo's field safety committee began a series of meetings reviewing driving events in which the autonomous vehicles entered, or nearly entered, closed construction zones. Specifically, the AVs failed to recognize and drove past ramp closure signs into pre-planned freeway construction zones; Waymo recorded six of these events in April 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. In an additional seven incidents in May 2026 in San Francisco, California, the offending Waymos drove between cones designating lane closure in the adjacent lane due to the ADS inappropriately prioritizing the avoidance of other freeway hazards and/or failing to recognize the construction zone.Boston Globe - Getty ImagesWaymo's safety board reviewed these events altogether on June 1, 2026, and initiated a recall on June 8, 2026. As usual, the fix is a tweak to the operating software that drives the autonomous rideshare vehicles. Waymo says the new software improvements will avoid entering a construction zone, detect that the AV is within a construction zone, and add additional operational protocols. The remedy is currently in progress, and will be implemented as soon as it is ready; in the meantime, Waymo has limited certain freeway driving access to minimize these incidents.You Might Also LikeIf You Can Only Own One Car, Make It One of TheseThese Are the Most Popular Cars by State
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