U.S. Opens Probe Into Waymo Vehicles Over School-Bus Safety Violations

U.S. auto safety regulators have opened a review of a Waymo software recall after reports that its driverless vehicles continued passing school buses displaying flashing red lights or extended stop arms.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's recall query covers 2,895 vehicles. It will examine whether the software remedy adequately addressed the defect and why incidents continued after the fix was deployed.

The review concerns a December 2025 recall involving Waymo's fifth-generation automated driving system. According to NHTSA, most of the reported incidents occurred after November 2025, when Waymo said the remedy had been installed across the affected fleet.

Waymo said it has made significant improvements to how its vehicles behave around school buses and has received no citations since March 2026.

A recall query is an investigation into whether an earlier remedy was effective. It does not, by itself, mean regulators have ordered a new recall.