NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Recall Query RQ26-006: Effectiveness of recall remedy for Waymo AVs passing stopped school buses
- Open
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Recall Query RQ26-006 on November 6, 2026, the day it closed Preliminary Evaluation PE25-013, which this investigation's summary cites; NHTSA's investigations file listed it as open on November 9, 2026. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Waymo 5th Generation ADS for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- RQ26-006 (also written RQ26006)
- Investigation type
- Recall Query An investigation into whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or whether its remedy works, run much like a Preliminary Evaluation.
- Status
- Open since November 6, 2026
- Opened
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Waymo LLC
- Component
- Electrical System — ADAS — Autonomous/Self Driving — Software
- Vehicles and equipment
- Waymo 5th Generation ADS
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Recall Query RQ26-006.
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has identified a large number of reported incidents of Waymo AVs passing stopped schools buses with the school bus's red lights flashing and/or the stop arm extended. On December 10, 2025, Waymo filed recall 25E084 to address the safety risk associated with driving past such stopped school buses. Recall 25E084 addresses a software issue which may cause the Waymo vehicle to pass a stopped school bus when the school bus’s red lights are flashing and/or stop arm is extended, so that the Waymo vehicle appropriately will remain stationary. The recall report indicated that the remedy for this defect, a software update, was completed for all affected vehicles on November 17, 2025. Of the total reported incidents identified during PE25013, a majority of the incidents occurred after the November 17, 2025 remedy date. ODI is opening this Recall Query (RQ) to assess the adequacy of the remedy for Recall 25E084 and to identify the cause(s) of the conditions leading to the post-remedy reports.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Recall Query RQ26-006. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to that page's NHTSA investigations section.
Waymo
Waymo 5th Generation ADS
- model year not given
What an NHTSA investigation is
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks into possible safety defects in vehicles and equipment, often after owner complaints. An investigation usually starts as a Preliminary Evaluation, or as a Recall Query when it concerns whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or fixes the problem, and ODI can upgrade it to a more detailed Engineering Analysis. A Defect Petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation, and Audit and Equipment Queries are administrative investigations into whether companies complied with federal vehicle safety requirements, such as reporting, recall and certification rules.
An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.
To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Free VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for RQ26-006
Investigation details come from NHTSA's investigations file, which try.vin imports once a day. The investigation types are described from the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General's May 2023 report on NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA's petition rules (49 CFR Parts 552 and 557) and NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation procedures. How try.vin reads NHTSA investigations.