Waymo suspended operations across four cities after robotaxis repeatedly encountered flooded roads during severe weather. An Atlanta vehicle drove into a flooded intersection and remained stuck for an hour, prompting the expansion of service pauses already affecting San Antonio, Texas. The company confirmed halts in Dallas and Houston due to forecasted storms.

The flooding issues stem from Waymo's incomplete solution for avoiding waterlogged areas. Last week's software recall addressed similar problems but shipped only interim restrictions on high-risk roads. Waymo's update relies partly on National Weather Service alerts, though the Atlanta incident occurred before official flood warnings issued.

These operational setbacks compound ongoing safety investigations. The NHTSA and NTSB are examining Waymo's handling of stopped school buses and a January collision with a child in Santa Monica. Documents show regulators requested additional data after initial responses proved inadequate. The pattern suggests persistent gaps in edge case handling.

Waymo's admission that it lacks a "final remedy" for flood avoidance reveals broader challenges in autonomous vehicle reliability. Weather-related incidents highlight the gap between controlled testing environments and real-world driving conditions where split-second decisions become critical.