On the Dash:
- Waymo school bus violations prompted NHTSA to open a recall query into 2,895 vehicles.
- NHTSA says most incidents happened after Waymo’s November 2025 software remedy was completed.
- The query will assess the fix and could lead to another Waymo recall.
Federal regulators are asking whether a software fix actually solved a safety problem in a driverless fleet. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a recall query into 2,895 Waymo vehicles over continued violations involving school buses, and the review will weigh the remedy Waymo issued last year. The outcome matters to dealers watching how regulators handle software recalls and autonomous vehicles.
Reuters reported that NHTSA announced the investigation on Monday. The agency said most incidents occurred after November 2025, when Waymo said it had completed the software remedy for all affected vehicles.
What NHTSA is reviewing
The query covers 2,895 Waymo vehicles equipped with the company’s fifth-generation automated driving system. NHTSA said it will assess whether the software remedy is adequate and determine what caused the incidents that occurred afterward. Additionally, the agency said it received several reports of vehicles passing school buses stopped with red lights flashing or a stop arm extended.
The Austin Independent School District provided the traffic citations, saying Waymo vehicles repeatedly passed stopped school buses starting last year. NHTSA said it’s focused on continued violations, particularly when a bus is boarding or off-boarding students.
A recall query checks whether a completed recall worked, but it doesn’t mean a new recall has been ordered. The review could result in another safety fix that Waymo would need to make.
Waymo’s response and the recall history
Waymo recalled 3,067 vehicles in December 2025 after its cars drove past stopped school buses. The company said it had updated the software on all affected vehicles by mid-November 2025. NHTSA opened its first probe in October 2025, after a Waymo vehicle drove around a stopped school bus in Atlanta.
A Waymo spokesperson said the company has significantly improved how its vehicles behave around school buses and has received no citations since March 2026. The company said safety is central to its mission and that it prioritizes safe operations around school buses. Waymo said it will work with the administration to answer its questions and continue improving its autonomous-vehicle software.
The query adds to the government’s scrutiny of Waymo this year. Reuters reported that the agency opened a separate probe in January after a Waymo vehicle hit a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica, California.
