Amazon-Owned Zoox Issues Recall Over Autonomous Driving System Concerns
On Tuesday, Amazon-owned Zoox issued a voluntary recall of its software due to concerns that its autonomous driving system was causing vehicles to cross over the center lane line near intersections or block crosswalks. The recall affected 332 vehicles, according to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The company, which provides free rides to the public in its driverless Zoox vehicles in parts of San Francisco and Las Vegas, noted in the NHTSA filing that while there have not been any collisions associated with the issue, it could increase the risk of a crash.
A Zoox spokesperson explained that the company identified instances where its vehicles made maneuvers that did not meet its standards, such as stopping in a crosswalk to avoid blocking certain intersections at a red light, or making a late turn resulting in a wide turn. The issue was initially identified on August 26 when a Zoox robotaxi made a wide right turn, crossed partially into the opposing travel lane, and temporarily stopped in front of oncoming traffic.
After monitoring data for additional lane crossings near intersections and identifying 62 instances between August 26 and December 5, Zoox updated its software in November and mid-December to address the issues. The company stated that they have successfully deployed targeted software improvements to address the root causes of these incidents.
Zoox emphasized transparency and safety in its actions, stating, “Today, we’re submitting a voluntary software recall because transparency and safety is foundational to Zoox, and we want to be open with the public and regulators about how we are constantly refining and improving our technology.”
The software recall affected Zoox vehicles operating on public roads between March 13 and December 18. This is not the first software recall issued by Zoox this year, as the company previously issued recalls in March to address unexpected hard braking and in May to improve the system’s ability to predict the movement of other road users.
