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Amazon’s Zoox Issues Software Recall After Self-Driving Robotaxi Crash in Las Vegas

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Zoox, the self-driving vehicle subsidiary of Amazon, has agreed to recall 270 autonomous vehicles following an April 8 crash in Las Vegas involving one of its unoccupied robotaxis and a passenger car. No injuries were reported, but the incident prompted a temporary suspension of operations and a subsequent software update to correct the issue.

According to Zoox, the crash occurred when the robotaxi misjudged a perpendicular vehicle’s behavior, incorrectly anticipating that the oncoming car would continue moving. Instead, the car stopped and yielded, but the Zoox vehicle had already slowed and shifted right, leading to a collision despite hard braking.

The company identified that the issue arises when its vehicles travel at over 40 mph (64 km/h) and encounter vehicles that slowly encroach from perpendicular driveways. The system’s failure to accurately predict the yielding vehicle’s stop was the root cause of the incident.

Zoox has since rolled out a software fix to prevent similar errors and stated that the vehicle behavior has been addressed. This marks the second recall in recent months: in April, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) closed a probe into 258 Zoox vehicles following two rear-end collisions caused by unexpected braking, after Zoox issued a software update.

However, Zoox remains under NHTSA scrutiny. The agency is still investigating the company’s 2022 self-certification of a robotaxi without traditional controls, such as a steering wheel or pedals.

The incident underscores ongoing regulatory and technical hurdles faced by autonomous vehicle developers as they approach broader deployment.

Tesla’s Robotaxi Rollout in Texas Raises Concerns Over Safety and Regulation

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Elon Musk announced in late January that Tesla plans to launch its autonomous ride-hailing service, which he refers to as “robotaxis,” by June in Austin, Texas. This announcement has raised questions regarding Tesla’s willingness to push unproven driverless technology onto public streets, especially in a state with minimal regulatory oversight.

Tesla has been criticized for accidents involving its driver-assistance systems, Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD), blaming customers for accidents while advising them to remain ready to take control of the vehicle. With this new initiative, Musk aims to deploy fully autonomous taxis, putting the company directly in the line of responsibility for any crashes, according to legal experts.

Despite years of promises about fully self-driving vehicles, Tesla has failed to deliver. Musk has set a goal to launch these autonomous taxis in Texas, a state with almost no regulatory control over autonomous vehicles. Texas law allows companies to operate driverless cars on public roads as long as they are registered, insured, and equipped to record crash data, without needing approval from a state agency.

Musk’s Tesla headquarters relocation to Austin in late 2021 was partly motivated by Texas’s hands-off regulatory approach, a stance that aligns with Musk’s broader political views. Critics, including legal experts, believe that Texas’s lack of oversight could allow Tesla to bypass important safety and testing procedures, potentially endangering public safety. Unlike in California, where companies like Waymo and Cruise have had to log millions of miles under strict regulations to gain approval for paid robotaxi services, Tesla’s approach will likely face far fewer hurdles.

Despite promising an unsupervised version of FSD in 2023, Tesla has logged just 562 miles of testing in California, far fewer than other autonomous vehicle companies. Even so, Musk’s plans for June have left investors and experts guessing. Musk’s promise of a fully autonomous ride-hailing system lacks details about scale, availability, or how it will function in practice.

Legal experts also believe that Tesla may begin with limited tests in Austin, potentially in controlled areas with human intervention via remote control to prevent accidents. However, residents in Austin have already raised concerns about safety, citing multiple near-miss incidents involving other robotaxis on the streets. Local authorities have also struggled with enforcement, as Texas law allows driverless vehicles to operate with limited oversight, leaving cities like Austin feeling powerless.

Trump’s USDOT Nominee Confirms Continuation of Tesla Safety Investigations

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President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Sean Duffy, confirmed that ongoing investigations into Tesla’s advanced driver assistance system will continue under his leadership. During a U.S. Senate hearing, Duffy expressed his commitment to allowing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to complete its probe into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, which is under investigation after four collisions, including a fatal crash in 2023.

The investigation involves 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with the FSD software, and Duffy assured lawmakers that the probe would proceed without interference. Senator Ed Markey pressed Duffy to ensure that NHTSA would operate independently, regardless of political pressures, to which Duffy responded, “I will let NHTSA do their investigation.”

Tesla, which did not respond immediately to requests for comment, has faced increased scrutiny over its driver-assistance systems as the company transitions toward self-driving technology. In addition to the FSD investigation, NHTSA recently launched a separate inquiry into 2.6 million Tesla vehicles concerning a feature called Actually Smart Summon. This system, which allows users to remotely move their cars, has been linked to crashes due to failure to detect obstacles or parked vehicles, prompting further concern over Tesla’s safety protocols.

In December 2023, Tesla recalled over 2 million U.S. vehicles to address safety issues related to the Autopilot system. NHTSA is still investigating whether the recall measures sufficiently mitigate the risk of driver inattention.

Duffy also mentioned that he would review the Federal Aviation Administration’s proposed fine of $633,000 against Musk’s SpaceX for violations of launch license regulations.