Zoox, the Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle company, has issued a voluntary software recall for 270 of its vehicles following a collision involving one of its self-driving robotaxis and an electric scooter in San Francisco. The incident, which occurred on May 8 at an intersection, involved a rider on an electric scooter and an unoccupied Zoox vehicle. The rider sustained only minor injuries.
The recall targets the robotaxi’s perception tracking system, which is designed to detect and interpret the motion of nearby road users. According to Zoox, the update improves how the vehicle reacts in complex urban traffic situations, especially when other vehicles or road users make sudden or unpredictable moves.
In a statement, Zoox emphasized its approach to safety: “At Zoox, safety is more than a priority; it’s our mission to create the safest ride possible. With over 100 safety innovations not found in traditional automobiles, we remain committed to placing safety at the core of everything we do.”
The company added that the recall decision followed an internal evaluation of data from a separate incident in Las Vegas, where a Zoox vehicle and a passenger car made contact. That event, which caused only minor damage and no injuries, triggered a formal report to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and a pause in operations to conduct a safety review.
Zoox stated that after a thorough analysis, the root cause of the behavior was identified and corrected with a software update. All vehicles in the fleet, including test units and production robotaxis, have received the updated software.
“We want to demonstrate our commitment to transparency, regulatory compliance, and rider safety in the communities we serve,” the company said.
This latest recall is Zoox’s second in May. Earlier in the month, another recall was initiated following a separate incident in Las Vegas. In addition, a Zoox robotaxi was involved in a collision with an electric bicycle in San Francisco in April. While no injuries occurred, the series of events highlights the ongoing challenge of deploying autonomous vehicles safely in complex urban environments.
Elsewhere in the industry, competitors such as Waymo and Cruise have also faced scrutiny. Waymo recently recalled over 1,200 vehicles following several low-speed collisions with stationary objects, while Cruise suspended its operations in San Francisco after a pedestrian was injured in a serious incident last year.
