Waymo Suspends Services in Six Cities Following Flooding Incidents

Autonomous driving company Waymo suspended robotaxi services across six cities—Atlanta, Nashville, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, and Austin—on May 21, 2026, after vehicles repeatedly struggled with flooded roads. The decision followed an incident in Atlanta where an unoccupied vehicle stalled in floodwaters for approximately one hour, and a previous April incident in San Antonio where a car was swept into Salado Creek. These failures occurred despite a voluntary recall of nearly 3,800 vehicles equipped with fifth- and sixth-generation Automated Driving Systems after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found they could fail to stop in standing water.

Separately, Waymo suspended all freeway operations in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Miami to address software issues in construction zones. This move followed a viral video of a robotaxi speeding through a closed construction zone in San Francisco, leading to a police chase. While surface street operations remained active, the company stated it was integrating technical learnings to resume these routes.

The company is currently facing two federal investigations by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board into a collision with a child in Santa Monica and repeated failures to stop for school buses. Further reliability issues surfaced on May 27 in San Francisco, where a vehicle stopped abruptly due to protest activity, prompting support staff to suggest the passenger use a competitor.