Amazon’s Zoox pulls robotaxis after software glitch leads to Las Vegas crash

Amazon’s self-driving car startup Zoox has issued a recall for 270 of its robotaxis after one of its vehicles was involved in a crash last month in Las Vegas, the company said Tuesday.

The issue stems from a flaw in the vehicle’s automated driving system. According to a report filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on May 1, the software could incorrectly predict how another vehicle is moving, something that can lead to a crash.

That’s exactly what happened on April 8, when an unoccupied Zoox robotaxi collided with another car in Las Vegas. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and both vehicles sustained only minor damage.

“After analysis and rigorous testing, Zoox identified the root cause,” the company said in a blog post. “We issued a software update that was implemented across all Zoox vehicles. All Zoox vehicles on the road today, including our purpose-built robotaxi and test fleet, have the updated software.”

The company paused its driverless operations to investigate the incident but has since resumed service after applying the fix.

Founded in 2014 by Tim Kentley-Klay and Dr. Jesse Levinson, Amazon bought Zoox back in 2020 for over $1 billion with big hopes of pushing into the robotaxi space. But things haven’t moved as quickly as planned. Zoox still lags behind competitors like Alphabet’s Waymo, which already operates in multiple U.S. cities. Meanwhile, Tesla says it plans to launch its own robotaxi in Austin this June, although it has missed launch targets before.

Zoox has set industry standards by being the first to showcase a purpose-built robotaxi capable of operating up to 75 miles per hour. Since its inception in 2014, Zoox has integrated artificial intelligence, robotics, vehicle design, and sustainable energy to reinvent personal transportation, aiming for a safer, cleaner, and more enjoyable future.

Zoox is currently testing its vehicles in Las Vegas and Foster City, California, and just started limited testing in Los Angeles using a small fleet of retrofitted cars.

This isn’t the first time Zoox has landed on NHTSA’s radar. The agency recently closed an investigation into two earlier crashes involving Toyota Highlanders running Zoox’s tech. In both cases, the vehicles braked suddenly and were rear-ended by motorcyclists. Minor injuries were reported.