GoKawiilNHTSA probes whether Waymo's school bus stop-sign fix actually worked
The NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened a recall query into Waymo on Friday, examining whether a software update the company rolled out in November 2025 actually stopped its robotaxis from passing stopped school buses with flashing lights and deployed stop arms. The agency noted that a majority of such incidents occurred even after Waymo's remedy date. This follows an earlier NHTSA probe that documented Waymo vehicles driving past stopped school buses in Atlanta and Austin.
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Regulators questioning whether a safety recall actually fixed the underlying defect signals doubts about Waymo's ability to quickly resolve software issues at scale across its fleet. Combined with separate NHTSA scrutiny of a Santa Monica collision involving a child and an NTSB investigation into school bus incidents, Waymo faces mounting regulatory pressure that could affect public trust and future expansion.
- NHTSA opened a new investigation into whether Waymo's November 2025 software recall actually stopped school bus stop-sign violations.
- Many incidents reportedly occurred even after the remedy date, prompting the recall query.
- Waymo also faces separate NHTSA and NTSB investigations over a Santa Monica child collision and school bus safety.
Source: engadget.com — Jackson Chen, 2026-11-09
Published there as: “NHTSA investigates if Waymo robotaxis are still running school bus stop signs”
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