Zoox, Amazon's Autonomous Taxi Division, Issues Second Recall in a Month

Zoox, the autonomous taxi subsidiary of Amazon, has initiated a second voluntary recall of its vehicles within a month, following an accident in San Francisco involving an electric scooter. The recall was reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and coincides with the implementation of a software update aimed at enhancing vehicle safety.

The latest recall stems from an incident on May 8, where one of Zoox's self-driving taxis collided with an electric scooter. According to the company's statement, the taxi was traveling at low speed and had come to a stop to yield at an intersection when the accident occurred. The scooter rider fell adjacent to the taxi but did not sustain serious injuries, opting to decline medical attention at the scene.

This incident follows an earlier recall from early May, where Zoox recalled 270 of its robotaxis after a similar collision involving a car in Las Vegas. In that case, a software glitch was identified as the cause, which may have impaired the vehicle's ability to accurately predict the movements of other vehicles on the road. The current incident appears to be related to a similar issue.

In response to the recent collision, Zoox has already deployed a software update across its fleet to enhance the vehicle's perception capabilities and reduce potential risks when other road users are in close proximity. The company emphasized its commitment to transparency, stating that it shared detailed information and video footage of the incident with regulatory authorities.

Unlike traditional vehicle recalls, where owners must take their cars to dealerships for repairs, autonomous vehicle recalls often involve software updates that can be distributed directly to the fleet. As Zoox owns and operates its vehicles, it can swiftly implement updates across all affected taxis, although the number of vehicles involved in the current recall has not been disclosed.

Incidents involving autonomous vehicles are not isolated within the industry. Recently, Waymo, another major player in the self-driving sector and a subsidiary of Google, announced a recall of over 1,200 vehicles to update their software and mitigate the risks of collisions with stationary objects. This followed an ongoing investigation by the NHTSA into Waymo's operations after several incidents.

Additionally, Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors, faced penalties after one of its autonomous vehicles was involved in a collision in San Francisco. Furthermore, the NHTSA is examining Tesla's autopilot system due to multiple incidents, affecting approximately 2.4 million vehicles. The regulatory body has also raised questions about Tesla's plans to launch an autonomous taxi service in the United States in June, highlighting ongoing concerns about the safety of self-driving technologies.