Zoox Issues Software Recall Over Lane Crossings

Amazon-owned Zoox issued a recall on Tuesday over concerns that its autonomous driving system caused vehicles to cross the centre line near intersections or block crosswalks. The voluntary recall of its software affected 332 cars, according to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

While there have been no collisions associated with the issue, Zoox noted in the NHTSA filing that it could increase the risk of a crash. The company operates a fleet of driverless Zoox vehicles providing free rides to the public in parts of San Francisco and Las Vegas.

A Zoox spokesperson told TechCrunch that the company identified instances in which its vehicles made manoeuvres that, while common for human drivers, didn't meet the company's standards. To avoid blocking intersections at red lights, the robotaxi may stop in a crosswalk. In other cases, the robotaxi made a late turn, resulting in a wide turn, according to the spokesperson.

The issue was first identified on August 26, when a Zoox robotaxi made a wide right turn, partially crossed into the opposing travel lane, and temporarily stopped in front of the oncoming traffic, according to the NHTSA filing. Zoox monitored its data for additional lane crossings near intersections and ultimately identified 62 instances between August 26 and December 5. The company stated in the filing that it was in "ongoing conversations with NHTSA about the frequency, severity, and root causes of these occurrences."

Zoox updated its software on November 7 and again in mid-December to address all of the issues.

"We have successfully identified and deployed targeted software improvements to address the root causes of these incidents," he company said in a statement. "Today wwe're submittinga warranty software recall because transparency and safety are 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, according to the filing.

Zoox has issued several software recalls this year, including one in March to address unexpected hard braking. That recall followed a preliminary NHTSA investigation opened after the agency received two reports of motorcyclists colliding with the rear of Zoox vehicles. In May, Zoox issued two software recalls to address concerns about the system's ability to detect the movement of other road users.