Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo LLC is reportedly pulling in its robotaxis for software updates after one of its vehicles hit a telephone pole last month.

The incident happened in Phoenix, Arizona, when the  Jaguar I-Pace EV driverless car was on its way to pick up a passenger. It hit the pole at just 8 mph, causing slight damage to the car but no injuries to anyone in the vicinity. The pole was apparently not mounted on the curb but at street level behind yellow lines in an alleyway, which the vehicle’s software seemingly wasn’t programmed to respond to.

Waymo is taking no risks. It has already filed a notice with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, explaining that its 672 vehicles will be recalled. The new update will address the issue.

“We have already deployed mapping and software updates across our entire fleet, and this does not impact our current operations,” a company spokesperson told media. “As we serve more riders in more cities, we will continue our safety first approach, working to earn trust with our riders, community members, regulators, and policymakers.”

There will now be increased scrutiny on the firm and its technologies given this is the second recall in 2024.  The first happened when not one but two of Waymo’s taxis hit the same pickup truck. On Dec. 11, 2023, the cars hit the truck while it was being towed in Phoenix. Waymo later said the truck was being towed improperly, crossing a traffic lane. It was hit by one robotaxi, but the truck didn’t stop, and then it was hit by another.

NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened an investigation into Waymo’s cars in May. That was in response not just to the bangs and scrapes with the pickup truck but to a series of 22 separate incidents. Seventeen of them involved impacts with stationary objects, and other incidents were simple traffic violations, such as reversing in one-way areas or driving into oncoming traffic in the other lane.

The path toward self-driving taxis becoming pervasive on our city streets is by no means a clear one. Cruise LLC, a self-driving car subsidiary of General Motors Co., has also had its fair share of problems, having to recall its entire fleet after some serious incidents. Since then, the company has faced all manner of setbacks and is currently in the process of strategizing what happens next.

Photo: Waymo