Waymo hits the brakes after robotaxis keep missing the signs for freeway construction zones

Waymo is recalling nearly 4,000 robotaxis after its vehicles repeatedly failed to recognize freeway construction zones, in some cases driving past closure signs or between cones marking closed lanes. A total of 3,871 vehicles equipped with Waymo’s fifth-generation Automated Driving System (ADS) are affected, and the interim workaround is to restrict freeway driving until a fix is available. Six events were logged in Phoenix, Arizona, in April, during which vehicles drove past ramp-closure