Originally published on ColdCaseTech.
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Then vs. Now (News report): Then: Waymo said it completed a software update for all affected vehicles on November 17, 2025, after reports that its robotaxis illegally passed stopped school buses. Now: NHTSA opened a recall query on November 6 to assess the adequacy of the remedy, stating that a majority of reported incidents occurred after the remedy date.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a recall query into Waymo in a filing dated November 6, seeking to assess whether the company's software remedy was adequate for robotaxis that passed stopped school buses (TechCrunch). The regulator noted that a majority of the reported incidents occurred after the remedy date (Engadget). Waymo said it has received no citations since March 2026 (TechCrunch).
Key Facts
| Item | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Agency action | Recall query opened by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation | TechCrunch |
| Stated reason | A majority of incidents occurred after the remedy date | Engadget |
| Waymo update | Completed for all affected vehicles on November 17, 2025 | TechCrunch |
| Waymo position | No citations since March 2026 | Engadget |
| Other probe | NTSB investigating school bus behavior | Wired |
Timeline
- 2025-11-17: Waymo completed a software update for all affected vehicles, according to the company (TechCrunch).
- 2026-11-06: NHTSA filed the recall query on the adequacy of the remedy (TechCrunch).
Details (as Reported)
The Office of Defects Investigation opened its initial investigation into Waymo in October 2025 after footage showed a Waymo vehicle maneuvering around a stopped school bus in Atlanta (TechCrunch). The bus had its stop sign extended and its lights flashing, and it was unloading children (TechCrunch). Austin Independent School District officials documented further incidents in Austin, reporting at least five of them in a letter filed with NHTSA (TechCrunch).
According to a filing, Waymo issued a fix in mid-November and an official voluntary recall a month later (Wired). A report from the National Transportation Safety Board found that another school bus passing incident occurred in mid-January, several weeks after the supposed fix (Wired). Wired also reported that the Austin school district helped set up a half-day data collection event with school buses and stop-arm signals after Waymo had issued its fix and recall, and that incidents continued (Wired).
In a statement, Waymo spokesperson Dana Gallagher stated that the company has made significant improvements to vehicle behavior around school buses (Wired). The company added that it looks forward to continuing its engagement on recall processes for AV software that continues to learn and improve (Engadget).
The Office of Defects Investigation also opened a probe into an incident in which a Waymo robotaxi hit a child in Santa Monica, California, in January (Engadget). The NTSB, an independent federal agency, launched its own investigation into Waymo's behavior around stopped school buses earlier this year (Engadget). Wired reported that in years past, recall queries like this one have led to civil penalties, some costing automakers and software developers tens of millions of dollars (Wired).
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What Is Not Yet Confirmed
- Whether the software update fixed the problem is what the recall query will determine (Engadget).
- The causes of the conditions behind the post-remedy reports remain for NHTSA to identify (Engadget).
- Waymo's response to the query is pending, as the company stated it will respond once the query is received (TechCrunch).
- Austin Independent School District officials had not yet responded to TechCrunch's request for comment (TechCrunch).
Sources
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