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Incident · Malfunction

Dozens of Waymo robotaxis stranded during San Francisco power outage, blocking roads citywide

On December 19-20, 2025, a power substation fire in San Francisco left a third of the city without power, disabling traffic lights. Dozens of Waymo robotaxis became stranded, unable to navigate intersections without functioning traffic signals, and blocked key streets. Waymo eventually halted service citywide. The incident highlighted vulnerabilities in AV systems during infrastructure failures.

Occurred 2025-12-20 · Waymo Driver (6th gen) at Sacramento, California, USA · Waymo · Sacramento, California, USA · Robotaxis

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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 (3)

  1. The Guardian · https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/21/power-outages-san-francisco-traffic-waymo-taxis-traffic · 2025-12-21
  2. Forbes · https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradtempleton/2025/12/29/waymo-did-badly-in-a-big-power-outage--where-was-the-simulator/ · 2025-12-29
  3. TechCrunch · https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/28/waymo-robotaxi-operators-face-fresh-scrutiny-over-emergency-response-failures/ · 2026-07-28

Common questions

What happened in Dozens of Waymo robotaxis stranded during San Francisco power outage, blocking roads citywide?
On December 19-20, 2025, a power substation fire in San Francisco left a third of the city without power, disabling traffic lights. Dozens of Waymo robotaxis became stranded, unable to navigate intersections without functioning traffic signals, and blocked key streets. Waymo eventually halted service citywide. The incident highlighted vulnerabilities in AV systems during infrastructure failures.
When did this incident occur?
The incident is recorded as occurring on December 20, 2025 on the DEPLOY registry. The date reflects the underlying real-world event, not the registry record's creation date.
What robot was involved in Dozens of Waymo robotaxis stranded during San Francisco power outage, blocking roads citywide?
Waymo Driver (6th gen) by Waymo is the recorded robot involved in this incident at Sacramento, California, USA.
Has anyone responded to Dozens of Waymo robotaxis stranded during San Francisco power outage, blocking roads citywide?
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 Dozens of Waymo robotaxis stranded during San Francisco power outage, blocking roads citywide?
This incident is an active record on the DEPLOY registry; no retraction or correction has been issued.
Methodology: Verified · 3 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-21

Verification posture

Verified

Medium confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-08-21

Sources by quality tier

1
unclassified
Unclassified source
1
secondary-established-publication
Established publication
1
secondary-industry-publication
Industry publication

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

Methodology surface for Dozens of Waymo robotaxis stranded during San Francisco power outage, blocking roads citywide.

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Canonical ID 8ec6e163-dcfa-441a-bbd5-95ac67d6ad7c