NHTSA opened recall query RQ26006 into whether Waymo's school bus software recall worked on 2,895 robotaxis. Plus a CHP freeway run-in and a stalled D.C. launch.
Photo: Waymo
Federal safety regulators say Waymo's school bus fix may not have fixed anything. On November 6, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a recall query (RQ26006) covering 2,895 Waymo robotaxis running its fifth-generation self-driving system. NHTSA wants to know why the cars kept passing stopped school buses after the software recall that was supposed to stop it.
It capped a rough week for the country's largest robotaxi company. A Waymo was filmed trying to get around California Highway Patrol cars slowing traffic on a San Francisco freeway, and a D.C. Council committee refused to advance the bill Waymo needs to launch in the nation's capital. All of it comes as Waymo reportedly plans to double its fleet by the end of the year.
A recall query is the step NHTSA takes when it doubts a recall remedy worked. In its opening document, the agency's Office of Defects Investigation says it has identified "a large number of reported incidents" of Waymo vehicles passing stopped school buses with red lights flashing or stop arms extended.
The key line: Waymo's recall report said the software fix was on every affected vehicle by November 17, 2025. But NHTSA says that of all the incidents it collected in its earlier investigation (PE25013), "a majority of the incidents occurred after the November 17, 2025 remedy date."
NHTSA says the query will "assess the adequacy of the remedy" and find the cause of the post-fix incidents. The filing lists eight traffic citations provided by the Austin Independent School District, plus a confidential number of incidents reported by Waymo itself. The problem description reads: "Continued traffic safety violations relating to stopping when encountering a school bus, particularly when the bus is boarding or offboarding students."
A recall query can end with no action, or it can push a company into a new or expanded recall.
Waymo filed recall 25E084 on December 10, 2025, covering 3,067 vehicles. According to the recall report, the cars would sometimes stop or slow for a school bus, then drive on before the bus turned off its lights or pulled in its stop arm.
Waymo traced it to a feature meant to keep its cars from blocking "priority vehicles" such as public buses and school buses. After an August 20, 2025, software release changed how the system predicts what other road users will do, the car could decide it was in a priority vehicle's way and pull ahead when it should have stayed put.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| Sept. 22, 2025 | First known event: a Waymo slows to 5 mph for a school bus, then proceeds before the stop arm retracts |
| October 2025 | NHTSA opens investigation PE25013 after video shows a Waymo passing a stopped school bus in Atlanta |
| Nov. 5-17, 2025 | Waymo rolls out a software hotfix to all affected vehicles |
| Nov. 20, 2025 | Austin ISD tells Waymo it has logged 19 violations, five after Waymo said updates were in place |
| Dec. 10, 2025 | Waymo files recall 25E084 for 3,067 vehicles |
| Nov. 6, 2026 | NHTSA opens recall query RQ26006 on 2,895 vehicles |
Sources: NHTSA recall report 25E084, NHTSA RQ26006 resume, Austin ISD letter filed with NHTSA, TechCrunch.
Waymo's recall filing said no collisions resulted, and it counted 12 related citations, all between September 25 and November 14, 2025. Austin ISD's letter painted a darker picture. It said Waymo cars were "averaging 1.5 violations per week," and that one passed a stopped bus "only moments after a student crossed in front of the vehicle, and while the student was still in the road." The district asked Waymo to stop driving during school bus hours.
A second school-zone investigation
This is not NHTSA's only open Waymo case near schools. On January 28, 2026, it opened PE26001 after a driverless Waymo struck a child on January 23 within two blocks of a Santa Monica, California, elementary school during drop-off. NHTSA says the child ran into the street from behind a double-parked SUV. Waymo reported minor injuries. The agency is examining whether the car used enough caution, including its speed, and how it responded after the impact.
In a statement emailed to TechCrunch, Waymo said it has "made significant improvements to vehicle behavior around school buses" and has "received no citations since March 2026." The company said it will respond to NHTSA's query once received and "look[s] forward to continuing our engagement on recall processes for AV software that continues to learn and improve."
Citations only capture violations someone catches and reports, so "no citations" is not the same as "no incidents." NHTSA's opening document does not give a full timeline or say how often Waymo cars pass buses per encounter.
The same week, video sent to ABC7 News showed a driverless Waymo on Interstate 280 in San Francisco, near John Daly Boulevard, trying to get past CHP patrol cars running a "traffic break," a maneuver officers use to slow freeway traffic. Jalopnik reported a construction vehicle and workers were ahead in the roadway.
According to ABC7, officers said the Waymo tried to pass the patrol cars twice before they steered into its path and forced it back in line. The CHP had not said whether Waymo would face any penalty. With no human driver on board, there was no one to ticket.
On November 12, the D.C. Council's transportation committee failed to advance the Autonomous Vehicle Deployment Authorization Amendment Act of 2026, which would have legalized driverless ride-hailing in the District. The vote was a 3-3 tie, which means the bill stays in committee and dies at the end of the year, City Cast DC reported.
Councilmembers Janeese Lewis George (also the mayor-elect), Zachary Parker and Elissa Silverman voted no. Committee chair Charles Allen, who wrote the bill, Christina Henderson and Council Chair Phil Mendelson voted yes. Allen's revised version would have capped robotaxis at 800 vehicles across all companies. Waymo has tested in D.C. with safety drivers since 2024.
"While we remain ready to work with the Council, postponing this debate delays the additional investments and jobs that come with scaling our operations," Waymo spokesperson Dana Gallagher said.
Waymo is scaling quickly. Semafor reported on October 19 that it runs about 4,000 vehicles and aims for 8,000 by the end of 2026 and 20,000 by the end of 2027, backed by a $5 billion loan. Waymo declined to comment on those figures.
That growth raises the stakes. Waymo's main argument is that software learns once and every car improves. The school bus case tests the flip side: when the fleet-wide fix doesn't work, every car keeps the flaw. For riders, nothing changes today. Service continues, and NHTSA has not ordered any vehicles off the road. For parents and drivers in cities like Austin, Atlanta, Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Francisco, the question is whether Waymo can prove the problem is gone before its fleet doubles.
The bottom line: NHTSA is questioning whether Waymo's December 2025 school bus recall worked on 2,895 robotaxis, because most reported incidents happened after the fix. Waymo says it hasn't been cited since March 2026. Add a freeway run-in with the CHP and a stalled D.C. launch, and Waymo's push to 20,000 cars now comes with closer scrutiny.
Related: Waymo and Uber partnership ending in Austin and Atlanta · Nevada approves up to 8,000 robotaxis · Tesla's Texas robotaxi fleet passes Waymo
After the Nov. 3 midterm elections, Rivian, Lucid and Scout CEOs say they aren't counting on the $7,500 federal EV tax credit returning. Here's why, and what EV buyers should do now.
Lucid's Q3 2026 earnings missed with $350.3M revenue and $1.04B cash burn, but a new $1.75B Saudi PIF loan extends its runway into Q4 2027. What it means for Air and Gravity buyers.
Tesla owners can now plug in and charge at Ionna with Autocharge through the Presto app. Here's how to set it up, which Teslas work, pricing and the security trade-off vs Plug & Charge.