Waymo to recall software after NHTSA school‑bus passing probe; response due Jan. 20
Waymo will file a voluntary software recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to fix a software issue that contributed to its autonomous vehicles passing stopped school buses; the company said no injuries were reported and Chief Safety Officer Mauricio Peña acknowledged the need to "be better." NHTSA has sent detailed questions, set a Jan. 20, 2026 deadline for Waymo’s responses and said similar prior incidents are likely, while Austin ISD documented 19 illegal passings, including one that occurred moments after a student crossed in front of a vehicle.
📌 Key Facts
- Waymo says it will file a voluntary software recall with NHTSA early next week to address incidents of its self‑driving vehicles passing stopped school buses; the company identified a software issue it says updates will fix and reported no injuries.
- Waymo Chief Safety Officer Mauricio Peña acknowledged the need to "be better" and committed publicly to filing the recall.
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a probe, sent detailed questions to Waymo, set a Jan. 20, 2026 deadline for Waymo’s responses, and said the likelihood of other similar prior incidents is high.
- Austin Independent School District documented 19 instances of autonomous vehicles illegally passing stopped school buses, including one that occurred moments after a student crossed in front of the vehicle.
- Waymo’s voluntary recall and software updates are being taken in response to the documented incidents and the NHTSA inquiry.
📊 Relevant Data
In a 2025 survey by NASDPTS, 114,239 school bus drivers across 36 states and the District of Columbia reported 67,258 vehicles illegally passing stopped school buses on a single day.
6 Takeaways from the 2025 NASDPTS National School Bus Illegal Passing Survey — BusPatrol
From 2000 to 2023, there were 61 fatalities in crashes that involved a driver illegally passing a stopped school bus in the US.
School Bus Safety — Traffic Safety Marketing
Texas school bus drivers reported an average of 1.2 illegal passings per bus on Wednesday, April 23, 2025.
Updated: Latest Illegal School Bus Passing Survey Data — Texas Education News
Austin Independent School District transports nearly 20,000 students daily on nearly 550 buses.
Transportation | Austin ISD — Austin ISD
📰 Sources (2)
- Waymo says it will file a voluntary software recall with NHTSA early next week to address incidents of its AVs passing stopped school buses.
- Waymo identified a software issue contributing to the behavior and says updates will fix the problem; no injuries have been reported.
- Quote from Waymo Chief Safety Officer Mauricio Peña acknowledging the need to 'be better' and committing to the recall filing.
- NHTSA sent detailed questions and set a Jan. 20, 2026 deadline for Waymo’s responses, stating the likelihood of other similar prior incidents is high.
- Austin ISD documented 19 instances of AVs illegally passing stopped school buses, including one moments after a student crossed in front of the vehicle.