NHTSA opens a recall query on 2,895 Waymo vehicles

NHTSA opened a recall query on 2,895 Waymo vehicles on November 6. The filing, RQ26006, asks whether a software fix meant to stop the cars from passing stopped school buses worked.

The query covers a December recall. The Office of Defects Investigation said Waymo filed recall 25E084 on December 10, 2025. The recall addresses a software issue that may cause a Waymo vehicle to pass a stopped school bus when the red lights are flashing or the stop arm is extended. The recall report said the software update was completed for all affected vehicles on November 17, 2025.

Most reported incidents came after that date. Of the total reported incidents identified during the earlier probe, a majority occurred after the November 17, 2025 remedy date. The office said it is opening the query to assess the adequacy of the remedy and to identify the causes of the post-remedy reports. The population listed is Waymo's fifth-generation automated driving system.

The earlier probe started with a bus in Atlanta. A trade report said the initial investigation opened in October 2025 after footage of a Waymo vehicle maneuvering around a stopped school bus that had its stop sign extended and lights flashing while unloading children. The same report said Austin school officials had reported at least five such incidents in a letter to the agency. The November 6 resume does not give a later Austin count.

Waymo said citations have stopped. A company spokesperson told a reporter the company has made significant improvements to vehicle behavior around school buses, and that it has not been cited for passing school buses since last March. That claim is the company's. It is not in the NHTSA resume. The resume does not say the remedy failed. It says the agency is assessing whether the remedy was adequate.