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Incident · Recall

Waymo recalls 3,791 driverless taxis over risk of driving into flooded roadways

On April 20, 2026, an unoccupied Waymo autonomous vehicle encountered an untraversable flooded section of roadway with a 40 mph speed limit; it detected the water but proceeded at reduced speed rather than stopping. Waymo's Safety Board reviewed the issue on April 24 and decided to conduct a recall covering 3,791 5th- and 6th-generation ADS vehicles (production dates March 17, 2022 to April 20, 2026).

Waymo is developing the final remedy. NHTSA Part 573 recall report 26E026.

Occurred 2026-04-20 · Waymo · Investigated by NHTSA

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Incident records on DEPLOY are compiled from public sources (regulatory filings, news reports, and operator disclosures) and reflect what has been reported and tracked to date. They are not legal findings, determinations of fault, or safety ratings, and may be updated as new information is verified. See the sources below for the underlying references.
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Sources (2)

  1. NHTSA Part 573 Recall Report 26E026 · https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2026/RCLRPT-26E026-6527.pdf · 2026-05-12
  2. New York Times · https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/us/waymo-recall-robotaxis-flood-water.html · 2026-05-12

Status history

  • Active · 2026-07-25 · agent:recon

Common questions

What happened in Waymo recalls 3,791 driverless taxis over risk of driving into flooded roadways?
On April 20, 2026, an unoccupied Waymo autonomous vehicle encountered an untraversable flooded section of roadway with a 40 mph speed limit; it detected the water but proceeded at reduced speed rather than stopping. Waymo's Safety Board reviewed the issue on April 24 and decided to conduct a recall covering 3,791 5th- and 6th-generation ADS vehicles (production dates March 17, 2022 to April 20, 2026). Waymo is developing the final remedy. NHTSA Part 573 recall report 26E026.
When did this incident occur?
The incident is recorded as occurring on April 20, 2026 on the DEPLOY registry. The date reflects the underlying real-world event, not the registry record's creation date.
Who was involved in Waymo recalls 3,791 driverless taxis over risk of driving into flooded roadways?
The incident is recorded as involving Waymo on the DEPLOY registry. No specific robot model is linked to this incident in the registry.
Has anyone responded to Waymo recalls 3,791 driverless taxis over risk of driving into flooded roadways?
No responses to this incident are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Operators, manufacturers, or affected parties can submit responses to the editorial team; absence is not a guarantee no response was issued.
What is the current status of Waymo recalls 3,791 driverless taxis over risk of driving into flooded roadways?
This incident is an active record on the DEPLOY registry; no retraction or correction has been issued.
Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (1 primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-09

Verification posture

Verified

High confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-08-09

Sources by quality tier

1
primary-regulatory-filing
Regulatory filing
1
secondary-established-publication
Established publication

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Waymo recalls 3,791 driverless taxis over risk of driving into flooded roadways.

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Canonical ID d8c9604b-8a36-4478-86fa-ac03db334bb3