Zoox recalls software after a robotaxi got confused by smoke

Zoox has issued a software recall after one of its robotaxis struggled to navigate a smoke-filled emergency fire scene in June. The Amazon-owned company said Friday it has shipped an update to its fleet of 105 vehicles that “enhances the existing capability of detecting active emergency scenes by adding the ability to detect and respond to heavy smoke in certain situations.” Nobody was on board during the incident, and Zoox told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that it is not aware of any injuries. Neither NHTSA’s report nor Zoox specify where the incident took place.

According to NHTSA’s account, on June 20 a Zoox robotaxi encountered heavy smoke that obscured an active fire scene that had not been cordoned off with cones; the vehicle braked hard while attempting to steer away before coming to a stop. A Zoox teleoperator then reversed the vehicle away from the scene, allowing first responders to place traffic cones. Zoox said it investigated the root cause and found no similar incidents, and held multiple conversations with NHTSA through late June and early July about the issue’s severity, frequency, and root causes. Zoox issued the recall on July 7 — one day before NHTSA administrator Jonathan Morrison sent a letter to self-driving car companies warning them to stop interfering with first responders. Morrison wrote that emergency scenes are not rare or extreme edge cases, and called on developers and operators to immediately focus their resources on fixing the problem.

TechCrunch has previously reported that Waymo has had repeated run-ins with first responders as it expands into new cities, with at least six incidents as of March in which first responders had to physically move its robotaxis from a scene. Zoox has issued software recalls before: a hard-braking fix in March 2025 that resolved an issue NHTSA had investigated since 2024, and two more in May 2025 after a collision with a passenger car and an incident where a Zoox vehicle was struck by an e-scooter rider.

Zoox is expanding testing to new cities and offering free rides in Las Vegas and San Francisco ahead of a planned commercial launch, which depends on NHTSA granting the company an exemption from certain Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, since its robotaxis have no steering wheel or pedals. NHTSA has also recently proposed removing the brake-pedal requirement for vehicles built to be fully autonomous.

Why it matters

The recall lands as regulators signal rising impatience with how autonomous vehicles handle emergency scenes generally, a pressure point that could shape the permits Zoox needs for its commercial launch.