The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a fresh investigation after reports that Waymo’s autonomous taxis continued to pass stopped school buses displaying flashing red lights and deployed stop arms. The incidents reportedly persisted despite a software update and recall the company issued last year to address the problem.
In a filing dated November 6, NHTSA said most of the reported incidents occurred after Waymo said it had completed a software update on all affected vehicles on November 17, 2025. The agency’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has opened a “recall query” to evaluate the adequacy of Waymo’s remedy.
Background of the probe
ODI initially launched its investigation in October 2025 after video surfaced showing a Waymo vehicle in Atlanta maneuvering around a stopped school bus with its stop sign extended and lights flashing while unloading children. In that video, the Waymo robotaxi crossed perpendicular in front of the bus from the right side, then turned left around the front of the bus before continuing down the street.
Since then, several additional incidents were documented in Austin, where Waymo also operates a robotaxi service. Officials from the Austin Independent School District reported at least five such incidents in a letter filed with NHTSA.
Waymo’s statement
Waymo told TechCrunch that safety is central to its mission and that it has made "significant improvements to vehicle behavior around school buses and have received no citations since March 2026." The company said it will respond to NHTSA’s query once it receives the request and intends to continue engagement on recall processes for autonomous vehicle software that "continues to learn and improve." TechCrunch reported the NHTSA filing and contacted Austin Independent School District officials for comment.
Why this matters
The ODI’s recall query underscores regulatory concern about whether software updates for learning autonomous systems fully resolve safety-critical behaviors in real-world operations. The NHTSA review will assess whether further action is needed to ensure that the reported unsafe maneuvers around school buses do not recur.
This article was updated after publication to include Waymo’s statement.
