Cruise recalls 300 robotaxis, issues software update after crashing into city bus

GM’s self-driving arm, Cruise, has filed a voluntary recall with federal regulators to update software in 300 robo-taxis after they crashed into the backseat of a city bus in San Francisco.

In a report to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Cruise said it initiated the recall because the software could inaccurately predict the movement of “tethered” vehicles in rare circumstances. I was.

In a low-speed crash on March 23, Cruise’s robo-taxis rear-ended an articulated San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority bus, but no injuries were reported. Cruise’s self-driving software failed to accurately predict the bus’s movements and braked too late, causing it to slam into the rear. Cruise said the incident caused minor damage to the front fender of the AV, but no one was injured.

Cruise co-founder and CEO Kyle Vogt wrote in a blog post Friday: “We do not expect our vehicle to run into the back of a city bus under any circumstances, so even one incident like this merited immediate and careful investigation.”

Vogt explained how Cruise engineers responded to the crash and provided details of the investigation. The company said he updated the software on March 25 and the issue was fixed.

Last September, Cruise reported a software recall and update for 80 robo-taxis following a crash in June. The accident, which left two passengers with minor injuries, received national attention as it came a day after Cruise received final approval from California regulators to commercialize its driverless robotaxi service. .

Cruz said in a regulatory filing that the software recall was issued because the self-driving system was causing an unmanned robo-taxis (without a human safety driver behind the wheel) to make a sharp left turn during an unprotected turn. He said it was due to a “rare circumstance” when he hit the brakes and turned around.