Amazon's self-driving unit Zoox has agreed to recall 258 vehicles due to issues with its automated driving system, which could lead to unexpected hard braking, following a U.S. investigation. The recall affects vehicles equipped with self-driving software versions released before November 5. The California-based company has addressed the issue by updating the software on its company-owned vehicles.
In May, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a probe into Zoox vehicles after reports of unexpected braking incidents involving motorcyclists. In its filing with NHTSA, Zoox indicated that two issues were resolved through the software updates. The first issue involved the vehicle reacting overcautiously when a bicyclist was in or near an adjacent crosswalk while the vehicle had a newly green traffic signal, resulting in unnecessary hard braking. The second issue involved the vehicle braking too hard when a motorcyclist or bicyclist was rapidly approaching from behind, as the system incorrectly anticipated a collision.
Zoox stated that there have been no additional occurrences and agreed to the recall to promote transparency in light of NHTSA’s position. The company has increased testing over the past year.
Last June, Zoox announced plans to expand its operations. Self-driving vehicle companies, including General Motors' Cruise and Google-owned Waymo, are facing heightened scrutiny after a serious incident in 2023 where a pedestrian was injured by a Cruise vehicle. Additionally, Waymo recalled over 670 self-driving vehicles last year after one of its driverless models struck a wooden utility pole in Phoenix, Arizona. NHTSA's certification of Zoox in 2022 for a robotaxi without traditional driving controls remains open.