Robotaxi firm Zoox has issued a software recall after one of its vehicles drove into smoke near a fire scene in Las Vegas.
About 100 vehicles from the Amazon-owned company were potentially affected by the software issue, which was discovered after the June 20 incident, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall report submitted Thursday.
On that day, an unoccupied Zoox vehicle encountered heavy smoke, obscuring a fire scene that was not blocked off with traffic cones. The report didn’t specify where the incident took place, but a person with knowledge of the matter told The Independent that it happened in Vegas.
After entering the fire scene, the robotaxi braked hard as it attempted to steer away. Guided by a remote operator, the vehicle reversed, and then first responders placed cones to block off two of the three lanes of traffic.
Within days of the incident, Zoox notified federal regulators and launched its own investigation into the matter. The probe found that the June 20 incident was the “only event of this kind that Zoox has experienced” and no injuries were discovered.
Federal regulators said Zoox developed a software update that “enhances existing capability of detecting and responding to heavy smoke including active EV [emergency vehicle] scenes.”
A spokesperson for the California-based company told The Independent, “Safety is foundational at Zoox. We value our work with first responders, city officials, and regulators to continue to ensure we’re driving safely in the communities we serve."
This is not the first time Zoox vehicles have been subject to a recall.
A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall report from December noted that Zoox had to update its robotaxi software after discovering its vehicles crossed lanes “unnecessarily” at or near intersections in certain circumstances.
Amazon acquired Zoox in 2020, about six years after the company was formed.
Zoox officially launched its robotaxi service on and around the Las Vegas Strip in September. The company started offering rides to the public in San Francisco in November.
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