Zoox issues another software recall for its robotaxis after a San Francisco collision

The Amazon-owned robotaxi company Zoox has issued its second recall in a month following a collision that occurred in San Francisco. It has already submitted a voluntary software recall notice to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) after an internal review of the incident and has already deployed the software update to its fleet of 270 vehicles. According to the company's announcement, an unoccupied Zoox robotaxi was struck by an electric scooter after braking at an intersection to give right-of-way to other motorists. 

The person on the scooter fell, and the robotaxi continued moving and only stopped after completing the turn. Zoox's robotaxi didn't hit the rider, but a company personnel met them and offered medical attention for minor injuries. The incident in San Francisco took place on May 8, shortly after the company announced a voluntary software recall following a separate incident in April wherein a Zoox robotaxi and a passenger car collided in Las Vegas. 

Despite the recall, Zoox said that its vehicle was stopped and wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary when it was struck. Still, it rolled out a software update to improve its vehicles' perception tracking capabilities and to prevent them from moving forward again when a road user is in a vulnerable position nearby. While the robotaxi didn't make contact with the rider after they fell on the road, the company most likely realized that it could have, which could lead to more serious accidents in the future. Zoox rolled out its autonomous vehicles for testing on the streets of San Francisco in late 2024. Only company employees can catch a ride at the moment, but Zoox is planning to start offering rides to the public sometime later this year.