Robotaxi faces another safety test: Waymo recalls nearly 3,800 vehicles due to the risk of encountering standing water.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced on Tuesday that Waymo is recalling 3791 Siasun Robot & Automation taxis in the United States due to defects in its autonomous driving software that may cause the vehicles to enter flooded roads. The recall involves vehicles with the fifth and sixth generation autonomous driving systems (ADS). As a temporary measure, Waymo has modified its operating range by adding weather-related restrictions and updating maps. A complete fix is currently being developed. From a technical perspective, flooded roads are typical "long-tail complex scenarios" for autonomous driving systems. In such situations, cameras may be affected by glare, there is a risk of misjudgment in water surface recognition by LiDAR, and static maps cannot reflect real-time road condition changes, making it easier for vehicles to deviate in perception and decision-making. These extreme scenarios have long been considered a significant technological bottleneck for the scaled operation of Robotaxis. It is worth noting that as Robotaxi commercialization progresses, U.S. regulatory agencies are gradually strengthening their review of the safety of autonomous driving systems. The industry is transitioning from the early stage of technology validation into a phase of continuous regulation and responsibility definition. Analysts believe that as operational scale expands, the cost pressure on autonomous driving companies in software validation, remote monitoring, and compliant operation may further increase. Additionally, Waymo has recently faced multiple safety-related investigations. In January of this year, one of its autonomous vehicles hit a child near a school in Santa Monica, California. Last month, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stated it was investigating an incident in January where a Waymo autonomous vehicle violated Texas state law by passing a stopped school bus with its lights flashing. As a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL.US), Waymo has long been seen as one of the leading companies in global Robotaxi commercialization, and its technological path is often seen as a benchmark in the industry. However, this recall event once again shows that even top companies find it difficult to completely avoid the complex and highly uncertain operational environment risks on real roads. Industry Comparison: Tesla, Inc. Faces Similar Challenges Similar issues are not unique to Waymo. Tesla, Inc. has also faced regulatory scrutiny in recent years due to issues with its autonomous and assisted driving systems. In 2023, Tesla, Inc. recalled approximately 2 million vehicles due to defects in the Autopilot driver monitoring system, making it one of the largest recalls in U.S. history related to autonomous driving software. Regulatory agencies believe that this system may cause drivers to overly rely on the assisted driving function, increasing the risk of accidents. Since then, the system has continued to face effectiveness reviews and safety concerns. Analysts point out that both Waymo's Robotaxi and Tesla, Inc.'s assisted driving systems reflect that the autonomous driving industry is still in a stage of incomplete maturity in handling complex road environments, long-tail scenarios, and the division of responsibility between humans and machines.