Waymo faces a recall query from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over whether an over-the-air update deployed in late 2025 adequately addressed its robotaxis illegally passing stopped school buses. The company recalled 3,067 fifth-generation Jaguar I-PACE vehicles in December after completing the software update on November 17, 2025.
Safety violations continued after the recall. Austin Independent School District documented 19 distinct violations and issued numerous $300 tickets following the fix. Atlanta public schools recorded six additional incidents.
Waymo said it made significant improvements and received no citations since March. The company is calling for new recall processes that recognize continuous software learning and improvement in autonomous vehicles. NHTSA's query, however, requires that a filed remedy work exactly as promised and asserts that remedies documented in recalls must perform as described.
The National Transportation Safety Board identified a human factor complicating the fix. In a January 12 incident in Austin, a Waymo vehicle stopped correctly but a remote assistance operator in Novi, Michigan, incorrectly answered "No" when asked if the vehicle faced a school bus with active signals. The robotaxi then passed the bus illegally while students were boarding, followed by five other vehicles. No software update can fully address failures in human remote operations.
Austin Independent School District has demanded that Waymo stop operating near schools during loading and unloading hours. Waymo rejected the request, stating its system outperforms human drivers. Unless remote assistance protocols are also fixed, the query could push Waymo toward operational restrictions it has refused to accept voluntarily.