SAN FRANCISCO, June 24 (San Francisco News Online) — Waymo has filed a voluntary recall covering 3,871 vehicles equipped with its fifth-generation automated driving system after federal safety regulators said the software could let a robotaxi enter a closed freeway construction zone and keep driving.
The company told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that it has narrowed freeway operations while it develops a fix. Waymo said the software update will be provided free of charge once it is ready.
The recall is national in scope, but it has local importance in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Waymo vehicles were among those reviewed in the federal filing. The company also said incidents in Phoenix were part of the review.
NHTSA identified the recall as campaign number 26E035000. In the agency’s report, it said driving through a closed construction zone increases the risk of a crash.
Waymo’s filing said the issue affects the company’s fifth-generation automated driving system. The recall covers vehicles operating in the United States.
According to the filing, Waymo reviewed incidents in which vehicles entered closed freeway work areas instead of avoiding them. The agency report said the software may allow a vehicle to enter a shut-off freeway construction zone and continue driving at speed.
Federal records reviewed by reporters show the incidents spanned multiple dates in spring 2026. The filing cited one incident on April 11 in Phoenix and five incidents on April 19 in Phoenix, where vehicles drove past ramp closure signs into planned freeway construction zones.
The filing also cited seven incidents on May 18 in the San Francisco Bay Area, where vehicles entered active freeway construction lanes by driving between cones.
Waymo said it had not reported collisions or injuries tied to the incidents reviewed in the recall. The company said it found an area for improvement in how the system performed near freeway construction sites.
Waymo also said it voluntarily limited freeway operations while it worked on the changes and informed state and federal regulators before filing the recall.
The company said the interim restriction means passengers will still be served on surface streets in the cities where it operates, while freeway driving remains limited during the remedy process.
NHTSA said the recall was filed by Waymo LLC on June 12, 2026. The filing became public as regulators and news outlets reviewed the notice in mid-June.
The recall adds another safety issue for a company that has expanded robotaxi service in urban markets, including San Francisco. For riders and other road users, the central concern in this case is how the system responds when construction signs, cones and closed lanes change the normal path of a freeway.
Waymo said the remedy is still under development. The company said the update is intended to improve the software’s ability to detect construction zones and avoid entering them.
