Zoox, an autopilot company under the Amazon flag, disclosed that it had sent software updates to 105 test vehicles under the flag. An unattended robotaxi had previously approached a fire emergency site under smoke cover, and the vehicle had been pulled and stopped while trying to bypass, and the vehicle had been dumped from the site by a remote operator.

June incident triggers recall

In a recall document, the National Road Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stated that the incident took place on 20 June. There was a large amount of smoke at the scene, covering an area of fire under disposal, and no traffic cones had yet been placed around it. After approaching, the Zoox vehicle was unable to identify the situation on site in a timely manner, precipitously braked and attempted to turn to the concession and eventually stopped in the vicinity.

Zoox indicated to the regulator that the company then conducted an investigation to establish the cause of the problem and to examine whether there was a similar situation. According to the company, this was the first time that it had experienced a similar incident, and no injuries related to this issue have been detected.

Regulatory focus in the near future

One week before the recall, NHTSA Director Jonathan Morrison had just written to a number of self-pilot companies requesting that the emergency and fire workers not be prevented from carrying out their duties. In his letter, he indicated that failure to identify and respond appropriately to emergency scenarios by the automated driving system indicated that there were still deficiencies in its functionality, which were not uncommon.

Over the past year, United States regulators have continued to focus on the interaction between auto-driving vehicles and emergency response personnel. Previously, in the course of several urban expansions, Waymo was repeatedly exposed to the need for manual movement of vehicles by field personnel to clear emergency routes.

Commercialization still pending regulatory release

Zoox stated that the company had communicated with NHTSA on several occasions at the end of June and the beginning of July, the severity, frequency and cause of the incident, and decided to initiate the recall on 7 July, the day before the regulatory public letter.

This is not the first time Zoox has been recalled for software problems. In March 2025, the company voluntarily updated the software for brakes; in May of the same year, it was recalled twice after collisions with passenger vehicles and accidents with electric skateboarders.

  • This software update covers 105 vehicles
  • The trigger occurred on 20 June
  • The car was empty.

Additional information:Zoox is providing free pilot services in Las Vegas and San Francisco. Owing to the absence of steering wheel and pedals for their vehicles, formal commercial operations still require federal motor vehicle safety standards exemptions.