SAN FRANCISCO, June 24 (San Francisco News Online) — Waymo has filed a voluntary recall of 3,871 vehicles equipped with its 5th Generation Automated Driving System after federal safety regulators said the software could let a vehicle enter a closed freeway construction zone and keep driving, including in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The recall, listed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as Campaign Number 26E035000, covers Waymo vehicles in the United States. NHTSA said driving through a closed construction zone increases the risk of a crash.
Waymo said the fix is still being developed. In the meantime, the company said it has modified the scope of vehicle operations to restrict freeway driving while it works on a software update.
The company said the update will improve how the system detects construction zones and keeps vehicles from entering them. Waymo said the software update will be provided free of charge.
The filing points to incidents reviewed by the company before the recall. According to the federal report, Waymo examined cases in Phoenix and in the San Francisco Bay Area, where vehicles entered active freeway construction areas.
Fox News, citing the NHTSA filing, reported one incident from April 11 in Phoenix and five more from April 19 in Phoenix, when vehicles drove past ramp closure signs into pre-planned freeway construction zones. The same filing also reviewed seven vehicles that entered active freeway construction lanes in the San Francisco Bay Area on May 18 by driving between cones.
Waymo said no collisions or injuries were reported from the incidents it reviewed.
CNBC reported that Waymo said it had voluntarily limited freeway operations last month while making improvements and had informed state and federal regulators before filing the recall with NHTSA. The company said it continues to serve riders on surface streets in the cities where it operates.
The recall adds another federal safety step for a company that has been expanding its driverless ride service in urban markets, including the Bay Area, where freeway access can affect trip time, routing, and service reach for passengers who use the vehicles.
The NHTSA report was dated June 12, 2026, and the recall became public after the filing was posted. CNBC reported on the recall on June 18, and Fox News later cited the same NHTSA campaign number and incident summary.
The filing does not show a completed remedy or a date for when the updated software will be deployed. For now, the company says freeway driving remains limited while the fix is developed and the recall process moves forward.
