Zoox recalls 258 self-driving cars over unexpected braking

Zoox, Amazon’s autonomous driving unit, has issued a voluntary recall for 258 vehicles due to issues with its autonomous driving system that could cause unexpected hard breaking.

The recall follows a preliminary investigation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) last May after the agency received two reports of incidents in which motorcyclists collided with the back of Zoox vehicles — Toyota Highlanders equipped with Zoox technology. The initial investigation found that in both cases, the Zoox vehicles were operating with their autonomous systems engaged.

Zoox is recalling only vehicles equipped with software versions released before November 5, 2024. The company said in a NHTSA report that it addressed the issue with a software update by November 7, 2024.

TechCrunch has reached out to learn whether Zoox’s Toyota Highlanders were the only vehicles affected, or if Zoox’s upgrade went out to its purpose-built robotaxis, as well.

Zoox is currently testing a limited number of its custom robotaxis, built without a steering wheel or pedals, in San Francisco and Las Vegas. Last June, Zoox shared plans to start testing its technology in Austin and Miami.

The recall comes after a few of years of heightened scrutiny from regulators following a safety incident with Cruise in 2023, which has since been shuttered and absorbed into its parent company General Motors.

Last year, Waymo issued a voluntary recall of 672 Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis following several reported safety incidents, including when one collided with a telephone pole.