Waymo expands pause to four cities as robotaxis keep driving into floods
Recorded: May 23, 2026, 3:58 a.m.
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Waymo expands pause to four cities as robotaxis keep driving into floods Sean O'Kane 5:37 PM PDT · May 21, 2026
Waymo has now paused service in four cities because its robotaxis are struggling to deal with heavy rain and flooded roads, a problem that already prompted the company to issue a recall last week. “Safety is Waymo’s top priority, both for our riders and everyone we share the road with. During a period of intense rain yesterday in Atlanta, an unoccupied Waymo vehicle encountered a flooded road and stopped,” the company said in a statement. Both the NHTSA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are looking into this problem. Waymo has already produced a batch of documents for the NHTSA, all of which were redacted to the public. On May 15, the NHTSA sent a second document request to Waymo because the company’s initial response “necessitates that [NHTSA] receive further data and information.” Topics autonomous vehicles, avs, robotaxis, Transportation, Waymo When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
Sean O'Kane Sr. Reporter, Transportation Sean O’Kane is a reporter who has spent a decade covering the rapidly-evolving business and technology of the transportation industry, including Tesla and the many startups chasing Elon Musk. Most recently, he was a reporter at Bloomberg News where he helped break stories about some of the most notorious EV SPAC flops. He previously worked at The Verge, where he also covered consumer technology, hosted many short- and long-form videos, performed product and editorial photography, and once nearly passed out in a Red Bull Air Race plane. View Bio May 27 StrictlyVC Athens is up next. Hear unfiltered insights straight from Europe’s tech leaders and connect with the people shaping what’s ahead. Lock in your spot before it’s gone. REGISTER NOW Most Popular You can no longer Google the word ‘disregard’ Russell Brandom Six search engines worth trying now that Google isn’t really Google anymore Amanda Silberling Jensen Huang says he’s found a ‘brand new’ $200B market for Nvidia Julie Bort Sam Altman makes ‘mic drop’ offer to every Y Combinator startup Julie Bort Intuit to lay off over 3,000 employees to refocus on AI Ram Iyer Google Search as you know it is over Sarah Perez Elon Musk has lost his lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI Tim Fernholz Loading the next article Error loading the next article X TechCrunchStaffContact UsAdvertiseCrunchboard JobsSite Map © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC. |
Waymo has paused service in four cities as its robotaxis experienced difficulties navigating flooded roads caused by heavy rain, an issue that was compounded by prior concerns that led to a company recall. For instance, one Waymo vehicle was reported to have become stuck in a flooded street in Atlanta, Georgia, before being recovered; consequently, the company paused service in Atlanta, similar to its existing pause in San Antonio, Texas, while it sought a resolution. Furthermore, Waymo halted service in Dallas and Houston due to severe weather forecasts across Texas, emphasizing a precautionary approach to safety. The company previously attempted to address the issue of avoiding flooded areas by shipping an update to its fleet that implemented restrictions in locations with an elevated risk of encountering high-speed, flooded roadways, as documented by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). However, this precautionary measure proved insufficient, as the incident in Atlanta occurred when flooding preceded official National Weather Service warnings, indicating that existing precautions were inadequate for handling severe weather events. The situation is further complicated by ongoing investigations into Waymo's operational behavior. The NHTSA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are both investigating the company. These investigations encompass several issues, including past concerns where robotaxis were observed illegally passing stopped school buses, for which Waymo implemented a fix that did not prevent continued illegal maneuvers. Additionally, these regulatory inquiries involve a January 23 incident where a Waymo robotaxi struck a child in Santa Monica, California, although the company stated that the vehicle had braked before impact, resulting in minor injuries to the child. Waymo has provided documents to the NHTSA, though some have been redacted, necessitating further data requests from the regulator to fully understand the circumstances surrounding these events. |