Waymo pauses service in four cities amid flooding issues

Waymo has paused operations in four cities—Atlanta, Georgia, as well as San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston in Texas—after its robotaxis struggled to navigate flooded roads. The service suspensions expand on a problem that already prompted the autonomous vehicle company to issue a software recall last week. The decision to halt operations in Dallas and Houston was made out of caution due to forecasted severe weather across Texas, an expansion first reported by Bloomberg News. The issue highlights ongoing challenges for the company as its robotaxis keep driving into floods during heavy rain.

The company admitted that it had not finished developing a final remedy for avoiding flooded areas when it issued its software recall last week. Instead of a permanent fix, Waymo shipped an update to its fleet to restrict operations in areas with elevated flood risks. However, these precautions did not prevent a recent incident on Wednesday in Atlanta, where an unoccupied robotaxi drove into a flooded street and became stuck for about an hour. Waymo stated that the storm produced heavy rainfall before the National Weather Service could issue a flash flood warning, watch, or advisory. In a statement, the company said: “Safety is Waymo’s top priority, both for our riders and everyone we share the road with. During a period of intense rain yesterday in Atlanta, an unoccupied Waymo vehicle encountered a flooded road and stopped,”

These weather-related incidents have drawn further attention from federal regulators. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA, the US federal safety regulator) is aware of the Atlanta incident, is in communication with Waymo, and will take appropriate action if necessary. This flooding issue adds to existing regulatory pressure on the company. Both the NHTSA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB, the US federal transportation safety agency) are currently investigating Waymo over reports of its vehicles illegally passing stopped school buses. Additionally, both agencies are investigating a January 23 incident in Santa Monica, California, where a Waymo robotaxi crashed into a child. In that incident, the vehicle braked to around six miles per hour before striking the child, who suffered minor injuries. On May 15, the NHTSA sent a second document request to Waymo seeking further data after reviewing the company’s initial, redacted response.

Why it matters

Waymo’s inability to reliably navigate adverse weather conditions—despite recent recalls—highlights the persistent gap between autonomous vehicle capabilities and real-world safety requirements, drawing increased attention from federal regulators.