SAN FRANCISCO, June 24 (San Francisco News Online) — Waymo said it is restricting freeway driving and developing a software fix after filing a voluntary recall for 3,871 vehicles equipped with its 5th Generation Automated Driving System, according to a report filed with federal safety regulators.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the software may allow a Waymo vehicle to enter a closed freeway construction zone and continue driving at speed. NHTSA said that could increase the risk of a crash.
The recall is listed as Campaign Number 26E035000. Waymo said the remedy is under development and that, in the meantime, it has modified the scope of vehicle operations to restrict freeway driving.
Waymo said it will update the automated driving software so vehicles can better detect construction zones and avoid entering them. The company said the update will be provided free of charge.
The manufacturer report is dated June 12 and was published by NHTSA after Waymo submitted it. The recall covers vehicles in the United States and is national in scope.
Waymo’s filing referenced incidents in Phoenix and in the San Francisco Bay Area before the recall was filed. In the San Francisco region, the filing said seven vehicles entered active freeway construction lanes on May 18 by driving between cones.
The filing also said one incident was reviewed from April 11 in Phoenix, and five more were reviewed from April 19 there, when vehicles drove past ramp closure signs into pre-planned freeway construction zones.
Waymo said no collisions or injuries were reported in the incidents it reviewed. In a statement quoted by CNBC, the company said it had voluntarily limited freeway operations last month while making improvements and had informed state and federal regulators before filing the recall.
The company also said it continues to operate on surface streets while freeway driving remains restricted. NHTSA’s filing did not give a date for when the software update would be completed.
