US opens probe into 2,895 Waymo vehicles over school bus safety violations

Nov 9 : The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Monday it had opened a recall query into 2,895 vehicles operated by Alphabet's self-driving unit Waymo over continued traffic safety violations involving the vehicles' behavior when encountering school buses.

NHTSA said it was reviewing whether a software update implemented by Waymo under a December 2025 recall adequately addressed a defect that could cause Waymo vehicles to pass school buses displaying flashing red lights or extended stop arms after initially slowing or stopping.

The auto safety regulator said most of the incidents occurred after November 2025, when Waymo said it had completed the software remedy for all affected vehicles.

The recall query will assess the adequacy of the remedy and determine the causes of the post-remedy incidents, NHTSA said.

Separately, NHTSA had opened a probe in January after one of Waymo's self-driving vehicles struck a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica, California.