Cruise Initiates Recall of Robotaxi Fleet Amid Federal Safety Investigation

Cruise, General Motors’ autonomous vehicle division, has initiated a recall for its entire fleet of 1,194 self-driving vehicles due to issues with abrupt stopping. The firm has rolled out software upgrades aimed at rectifying this braking issue, leading the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to conclude its investigation, which had been active for almost two years.

This recall marks a significant step for Cruise, especially during a period of heightened scrutiny. The company is still navigating through an ongoing inquiry by the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission, following an incident where a Cruise autonomous taxi was involved in an accident with a pedestrian, who had already been hit by a vehicle driven by a human, last autumn.

Since that incident, Cruise has experienced several major changes. It has had its authorization to operate in California revoked, halted operations of its fleet across the U.S., seen the replacement of its founder and various key leaders, and recently decided to discontinue the development of its custom-designed self-driving vehicle, the Origin. Furthermore, in June, Cruise managed to reach an agreement with the California Public Utilities Commission, paving the way to resume its autonomous taxi service in the state.

The scrutiny by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) into the abrupt braking incidents commenced in December 2022. Over two years, NHTSA reviewed a total of 7,632 incidents of sudden braking, determining that Cruise vehicles were a factor in 10 collisions, with four incidents involving a “vulnerable road user” and resulting in injuries.

The root of the issue seemed to stem from the autonomous system’s miscalculation of the trajectories of other vehicles or when a Cruise autonomous vehicle’s sensors detected nearby cars as too close, leading to sudden braking. The software updates from Cruise have enhanced the autonomous taxis’ abilities in perception, prediction, and planning, with NHTSA noting in February that the incidence rate of sudden braking incidents had significantly reduced, surpassing the performance of human drivers.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time Cruise’s autonomous vehicles have been recalled. In 2023, the company issued a software update following an incident where one of its autonomous taxis collided with a city bus in San Francisco. Additionally, there was a recall the previous year related to a crash involving one of its taxis during an unprotected left turn.