The voluntary recall covers 3,871 vehicles equipped with Waymo’s fifth-generation automated driving system.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the software may allow a vehicle to enter a closed freeway construction zone and continue driving at speed, increasing the risk of a crash.
Federal records show the company restricted freeway driving while it works on a software fix.
Waymo said it had identified “an area of improvement” in how its vehicles perform around freeway construction zones. The company said it voluntarily limited freeway operations last month, notified state and federal regulators and decided to file a software recall with NHTSA.
“We continue to safely serve riders on surface streets in all the cities where we operate,” Waymo said in a statement.
The recall documents describe 13 incidents. In Phoenix, Waymo’s field safety committee reviewed one event from April 11 and five events from April 19 in which autonomous vehicles drove past ramp-closure signs into planned freeway construction zones, according to the company’s filing.
In the Bay Area, seven Waymo vehicles entered freeway lanes with active construction on May 18 by driving between cones marking a lane closure in an adjacent lane, according to the filing.
The company told regulators the vehicles may have inappropriately prioritized avoiding other freeway hazards or failed to recognize the construction zone.
Waymo’s Safety Board reviewed the issue June 1, requested more information and decided June 8 to conduct a recall, according to the filing. NHTSA acknowledged the recall June 17.
The remedy is still under development.
Waymo said it will update the automated driving software so vehicles can detect when they are in a construction zone and avoid entering one. The company also said it will add operational protocols.
Because Waymo owns the affected vehicles, the company told regulators it would apply the fix itself.
Waymo’s recall filing says the affected systems were produced from March 17, 2022, to May 19, 2026. The recalled systems differ from other Waymo systems because they are capable of driverless freeway operation, according to the filing.
The construction-zone recall is the latest federal safety action involving Waymo vehicles.
The company previously recalled vehicles after some drove into standing water or flooded roadways, according to NHTSA records and prior coverage included in the source material.