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Incident · Recall

Waymo recalls 3,791 5th/6th-gen ADS vehicles over flooded roadway detection failure

NHTSA recall 26E026 (filed May 6, 2026): on Apr 20, 2026 an unoccupied Waymo AV encountered an untraversable flooded section of a 40 mph roadway, detected the flood water, but proceeded at reduced speed instead of stopping. Waymo implemented interim operational restrictions (weather-related scope controls + map changes) on Apr 20, 2026 and the Safety Board decided to conduct a recall on Apr 24, 2026.

Final remedy still in development. No injuries reported.

Occurred 2026-05-06 · Waymo Driver (6th gen) at Portland, Oregon, USA · Waymo · Portland, Oregon, USA · Robotaxis · Investigated by NHTSA

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Track Waymo recalls 3,791 5th/6th-gen ADS vehicles over flooded roadway detection failure

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Sources (1)

  1. NHTSA (Part 573, 26E026) · https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2026/RCLRPT-26E026-6527.pdf

Common questions

What happened in Waymo recalls 3,791 5th/6th-gen ADS vehicles over flooded roadway detection failure?
NHTSA recall 26E026 (filed May 6, 2026): on Apr 20, 2026 an unoccupied Waymo AV encountered an untraversable flooded section of a 40 mph roadway, detected the flood water, but proceeded at reduced speed instead of stopping. Waymo implemented interim operational restrictions (weather-related scope controls + map changes) on Apr 20, 2026 and the Safety Board decided to conduct a recall on Apr 24, 2026. Final remedy still in development. No injuries reported.
When did this incident occur?
The incident is recorded as occurring on May 6, 2026 on the DEPLOY registry. The date reflects the underlying real-world event, not the registry record's creation date.
What robot was involved in Waymo recalls 3,791 5th/6th-gen ADS vehicles over flooded roadway detection failure?
Waymo Driver (6th gen) by Waymo is the recorded robot involved in this incident at Portland, Oregon, USA.
Has anyone responded to Waymo recalls 3,791 5th/6th-gen ADS vehicles over flooded roadway detection failure?
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 5th/6th-gen ADS vehicles over flooded roadway detection failure?
This incident is an active record on the DEPLOY registry; no retraction or correction has been issued.
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (1 primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-21

Verification posture

Verified

High confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-07-21

Sources by quality tier

1
primary-regulatory-filing
Regulatory filing

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

Methodology surface for Waymo recalls 3,791 5th/6th-gen ADS vehicles over flooded roadway detection failure.

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Canonical ID 57ea77a6-cdab-4c91-b9ad-1594d63cf77f