Waymo Struggles With Flooded Phoenix Street as Drivers Wait Behind ItGuessing HeadlightsOlivia RichmanThu, September 17, 2026 at 6:16 PM UTCAdd us on GoogleImage Credit: New York Post / YouTube.A Waymo robotaxi spent more than 10 minutes repeatedly moving forward and backward on a flooded Phoenix street before coming to a stop in traffic, according to the man who recorded the unusual scene.Video captured by Roger Pelkey shows the autonomous vehicle creeping through standing water with its hazard lights flashing, backing up and moving forward several times as other vehicles wait nearby.At one point, the Waymo backs toward a vehicle behind it before stopping. Pelkey told Storyful that two Waymos were holding up traffic during the September incident.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe other vehicle eventually made it through, he said. The Waymo shown most prominently in the footage remained caught in the repeated forward-and-backward behavior while drivers maneuvered around it.Going NowhereEmbedded media follows; please allow a moment to load.Pelkey described the vehicle as being stuck for more than 10 minutes, repeatedly going forward and backward.The video eventually shows the Waymo stationary in the roadway while other vehicles pass by.The footage does not establish whether anyone was riding inside the Waymo, whether remote assistance became involved or what specifically caused the vehicle to stop.AdvertisementAdvertisementBut flooded roads have already posed a documented problem for Waymo's automated driving system.Water TroubleIn May, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration acknowledged a Waymo recall covering an estimated 3,791 fifth- and sixth-generation automated-driving systems.The recall concerned software that could allow a Waymo vehicle to slow down and then continue into standing water on higher-speed roads.NHTSA warned that entering a flooded roadway could cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.Waymo's filing traced the issue to an April 20 incident involving an unoccupied autonomous vehicle that encountered a flooded section of a road with a 40 mph speed limit.It Kept GoingAccording to Waymo's recall report, the vehicle detected what the company described as potentially untraversable floodwater and proceeded at a reduced speed.AdvertisementAdvertisementWaymo imposed additional operating restrictions that same day in locations and conditions where its vehicles faced an elevated risk of encountering flooded higher-speed roads.The company also changed the maps used by its vehicles and increased weather-related operating constraints as an interim measure.Waymo's Safety Board reviewed the issue four days later and decided to conduct the recall.Back In PhoenixThe May recall does not establish the cause of the behavior seen in Pelkey's September video, and the available reporting does not directly connect the Phoenix incident to the earlier software problem.It does, however, put the new footage against a documented history of Waymo vehicles encountering difficulty around flooded roadways.AdvertisementAdvertisementWaymo continues to operate its driverless ride-hailing service in the Phoenix area and expanded its local service territory in August.In Pelkey's video, one Waymo eventually gets through the flooded street. The other spends minutes trying before coming to a stop as traffic moves around it.If you want more stories like this, follow Guessing Headlights on Yahoo so you don't miss what's coming next.
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