Waymo, the self-driving car company owned by Alphabet, has recalled more than 3,000 of its autonomous vehicles after discovering a software glitch that caused them to drive past stopped school buses.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the recall on Thursday, saying the issue increased the risk of a crash and needed immediate attention.
According to NHTSA, 3,067 Waymo vehicles using the company's 5th-generation automated driving system were affected, USA Today reported.
The problem appeared when the vehicles slowed or stopped for a school bus, but then incorrectly started moving again—even when the bus had flashing red lights or its stop arm extended.
All 50 states require drivers to stop in those situations, making the glitch especially dangerous.
Waymo fixed the issue with a software update, and NHTSA confirmed that all impacted vehicles were repaired by November 17.
Still, the recall comes after several serious reports from Texas and Georgia, where the cars were spotted breaking school bus laws.
Waymo is recalling 3,067 vehicles because of a software issue that led to multiple incidents in which the autonomous cars drove around stopped school buses, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Waymo told CBS News last week that it was planning to… pic.twitter.com/WNFN5JtAYF
— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 11, 2025
Waymo Faces Scrutiny After 20 School Bus Violations
According to CBS News, in Austin, the school district said there were at least 20 incidents this school year where Waymo cars illegally passed stopped buses.
JJ Maldonado, a district spokesperson, said a 20th citation was issued even after Waymo reported the software fix, raising new concerns about the cars' behavior.
In Atlanta, school officials said they had documented at least six similar cases.
Waymo had already announced plans for a recall last week, saying the company had identified the issue and was working on a solution.
"A software issue contributed to the vehicles slowing or stopping for a school bus and then proceeding," Waymo explained, adding that it would continue monitoring the cars and updating the system whenever needed.
Federal regulators are also taking a closer look. The NHTSA launched an investigation into Waymo in October, before the recall, and has ordered the company to answer more questions about the Texas incidents by January 20.
Waymo operates driverless taxi services across major cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Phoenix, and Atlanta.
The company offers hundreds of thousands of rides each week and has plans to expand to many more locations.
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