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Waymo AI failures
Every documented AI failure involving Waymo on the AI Failure Index, classified by the mechanism that broke.
- Failures
- 5
- Highest severity
- High
- Span
- 2023 to 2026
- Failure modes
- 2
Waymo robotaxi blocks ambulance during Austin mass shooting response
A Waymo autonomous vehicle obstructed an emergency response corridor in Austin during a mass shooting. The incident led to demands for a meeting between Waymo and Austin city officials to discuss emergency coordination.
- Confidence
- Medium (multi-source)
A Waymo robotaxi flagged its teen passengers, disabled itself, and summoned police
In early July 2026, San Mateo, California police detained two 15-year-olds after a Waymo driverless robotaxi detected behavior its systems flagged as a safety concern, disabled the vehicle, and alerted authorities. The teens were reported to be drinking and shooting Orbeez water beads from the car. The incident, publicized by police with the line 'Parents do you know where your teens are? Waymo does,' drew scrutiny over passenger surveillance and the limits of privacy inside autonomous vehicles.
- Confidence
- Medium (multi-source)
Waymo robotaxis stalled en masse on July 4, gridlocking San Francisco and drawing a mayoral rebuke
During San Francisco's July 4, 2026 fireworks, Waymo vehicles were documented blocking traffic, driving over lit fireworks, and stalling en masse on a key Presidio connector road, compounding citywide gridlock. Mayor Daniel Lurie wrote state transportation leaders that by the end of the fireworks show 'autonomous vehicles became immobilized in travel lanes, blocking key streets and ultimately bringing traffic to a standstill,' urging a regulatory framework for AVs during major events and a prove-it-before-you-deploy-it standard. Uber separately blamed Waymo obstructions for much of the July 4 fiasco. The episode followed Waymo glitches driving into flooded San Antonio streets, construction-zone trouble that suspended freeway service in May, and NHTSA's July 8 warning about AVs interfering with first responders.
- Confidence
- Medium (multi-source)
Waymo autonomous vehicle kills bodega cat in San Francisco
A Waymo robotaxi killed a popular bodega cat named KitKat in San Francisco's Mission District on October 27, 2025. While Waymo claimed the cat darted under the vehicle, video evidence showed the cat had been underneath for some time before the vehicle drove off.
- Confidence
- Medium (multi-source)
Waymo Recalls Software After Two Robotaxis Hit Same Tow Truck
Two Waymo autonomous vehicles collided with the same tow truck and its payload in Phoenix, Arizona, within minutes of each other. The incidents were caused by a software misinterpretation of the vehicle's orientation and movement.
- Confidence
- Medium (multi-source)
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