(Credit: Waymo)
Waymo rolled out a software update to its entire fleet after two of its self-driving cars collided with a truck as it was being towed.
The company submitted a recall report with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about the software update, which was completed last month and did not disrupt Waymo's ride-hailing service.
According to Waymo, the incident in question occurred on Dec. 11, 2023, in Phoenix, Arizona. A backward-facing truck was being towed but was "persistently angled across a center turn lane and a traffic lane." Waymo's car hit the truck, though both vehicles continued driving.
A few minutes later, a second Waymo car hit the same truck in the same manner. Waymo says that neither driverless car had any human passengers at the time and the accidents resulted in only minor vehicle damage. Waymo reported both collisions to the Phoenix Police Department.
A Waymo spokesperson told CNBC that the issue was caused by the car failing to predict the "future motion of a towed vehicle."
After a few conversations with the NHTSA, Waymo decided to "recall" the whole fleet and issue a software update that helps the vehicles better deal with situations similar to the two-truck scenario. The update rolled out between Dec. 20, 2023 and Jan. 12, 2024.
The news comes after a group of people stopped a Waymo car in San Francisco, broke its windows, spray painted it, and eventually lit it on fire. According to reports, the car was holding up traffic. No one was hurt.
Waymo has still had better luck in the Bay Area than its rival Cruise, which was forced to temporarily halt its self-driving taxi service after one of them hit a pedestrian who was flung into its path following a separate accident. Its CEO later resigned.