Waymo is facing growing scrutiny after expanding robotaxi service pauses to four major cities following multiple incidents involving flooded roads and heavy rain. The autonomous vehicle company confirmed this week that it temporarily halted operations in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio as engineers work to address how its self-driving fleet handles dangerous weather conditions.
The latest incident happened in Atlanta, where an unoccupied Waymo robotaxi was seen driving into a flooded street before becoming stranded for nearly an hour. Local crews eventually recovered the vehicle. In a statement, Waymo said, “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 the Atlanta storm created flash flooding before the National Weather Service issued any formal warnings, which limited some of the automated weather signals Waymo uses to guide vehicle behavior during severe conditions.
The expansion of the service pauses comes only days after Waymo issued a software recall tied to flooded roadway risks. According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the company admitted it had not yet developed a “final remedy” for preventing robotaxis from entering flooded areas. Instead, Waymo deployed temporary software restrictions in areas considered high-risk during severe weather.
Federal regulators are now monitoring the situation closely. An NHTSA spokesperson said the agency is “aware of this incident, is in communication with Waymo, and will take appropriate action if necessary.”
The flooding issue adds to a growing list of regulatory concerns surrounding Waymo’s autonomous fleet. Both the NHTSA and the National Transportation Safety Board are already investigating reports that Waymo robotaxis illegally passed stopped school buses despite previous software updates designed to prevent those maneuvers.
Separate investigations also remain active following a January 23 crash in Santa Monica, California, where a Waymo robotaxi struck a child after braking to approximately six miles per hour. The company said the child suffered minor injuries.
As autonomous vehicle companies continue expanding into major U.S. cities, the latest incidents highlight one of the industry’s biggest challenges: teaching self-driving systems to safely react to unpredictable real-world weather conditions.
