A Waymo robotaxi struggled on a flooded Phoenix street this month, hesitating in what a witness called an “AI loop” and nearly reversing into another car.
Fox Business coverage of Roger Pelkey’s video shows the vehicle inching forward and back while human drivers went around; he said two Waymos held up traffic and one was stuck more than 10 minutes. Waymo had previously recalled thousands of vehicles and paused operations in several cities after software issues sent cars into floodwater, and suspended some freeway riding while updating flood and construction handling. The Phoenix clip is a water-navigation fail with near-miss backing, not a confirmed collision.