TL;DR
Zoox recalled 105 robotaxis after one drove into smoke at a Las Vegas fire scene in June. No injuries. Follows NHTSA’s directive on AV first responder issues.
Amazon’s Zoox voluntarily recalled software in 105 of its robotaxis after an unoccupied vehicle drove into heavy smoke at an active emergency fire scene in Las Vegas on June 20. The smoke obscured the scene, which had not been cordoned off with cones. The vehicle entered, braked hard while attempting to steer away, and came to a stop. A Zoox remote employee instructed it to reverse, then first responders placed traffic cones to block the area. No injuries occurred.
Zoox notified NHTSA of the recall on July 8 and said the incident was “the only event of this kind” that has occurred. The recall comes directly after NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison demanded AV developers fix first responder interference by the end of July, citing “a clear pattern” of driverless vehicles driving into emergency scenes, blocking ambulances, and failing to recognise smoke, flares, and flashing lights.
Zoox issued several software recalls last year over lane crossings, vehicle movement prediction, and pedestrian detection. Waymo recalled about 3,900 robotaxis last month after some drove into closed freeway construction zones. The pattern across the industry is consistent: autonomous vehicles can navigate routine driving conditions but struggle with the unpredictable situations that emergency scenes create. Waymo’s robotaxis also stalled during July 4 fireworks, reinforcing that edge cases in autonomous driving are not as rare as the industry claims.
Zoox operates driverless buggies without steering wheels or pedals in parts of Las Vegas and San Francisco, with limited service in Miami and Austin and testing in six other US cities. It is racing to catch Waymo, which runs about 4,000 automated vehicles nationwide. Amazon acquired Zoox for $1.3 billion in 2020.
