Amazon’s Zoox recalls self-driving vehicles amid emergency response issues

What the report says

Al Jazeera, citing Reuters, reported that Amazon-owned Zoox is recalling its 105 autonomous vehicles in the United States after concerns that the driverless vehicles may fail to detect heavy smoke and could obstruct emergency responders. The company announced the recall on Friday, July 17, 2026, and said it is issuing a software update meant to improve how its vehicles identify and react to heavy smoke.

The recall follows a June 20 incident in which an unoccupied Zoox autonomous vehicle encountered smoke obscuring an active fire emergency scene. According to the report, the vehicle entered the area, braked sharply while trying to steer away, stopped, and then reversed under teleguidance. First responders later used traffic cones to block two of three lanes at the scene.

The development comes as federal safety officials scrutinize how autonomous vehicles behave around police, firefighters and ambulances. Jonathan Morrison, head of the US vehicle regulatory agency, told autonomous vehicle companies that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had identified repeated cases of robotaxis entering active emergency scenes or failing to respond properly to warning signs such as flashing lights, flares, smoke, fire and cones. NHTSA plans meetings with vehicle developers by the end of the month to seek remedies.

Al Jazeera also noted broader concerns involving other self-driving operators, including reports of Waymo vehicles obstructing emergency routes, blocking an ambulance, entering a police scene, and passing stopped school buses in Texas. Federal agencies are investigating several incidents, underscoring the regulatory challenge of ensuring autonomous vehicles can safely share roads with emergency responders and the public.