Waymo has issued a recall affecting all 3,871 of its fifth-generation autonomous vehicles following safety concerns about their behavior in highway construction zones. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported incidents in Phoenix, Arizona, and San Francisco where robotaxis entered closed construction areas, prioritizing other traffic hazards over construction barriers. The issue stems from flaws in the Autonomous Driving System’s ability to detect and respond to construction zone signage and layout.

The recall does not affect Waymo’s newer sixth-generation vehicles, which are currently being rolled out. The company plans to fix the issue through software updates that improve detection of construction zones and prevent entry into closed areas, along with new operational protocols. This is the second major recall for Waymo this year, following a May incident involving flooded roads.

Past issues have included robotaxis blocking emergency vehicles in Austin and Dallas, and investigations into failures to stop for school buses. As competition grows with companies like Tesla, Zoox, and Uber advancing their own autonomous systems, reliability and real-world decision-making remain critical hurdles for the industry.