Amazon’s self‑driving unit Zoox announced a recall of 332 vehicles in the United States after the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration identified a software error that could cause the vehicles to cross or stop in front of oncoming traffic. The recall is the first regulatory action against Zoox and marks a significant operational milestone for Amazon’s autonomous‑vehicle program.
The software update that fixes the issue was deployed to all affected vehicles, and repairs were completed by December 19, 2025. The recall announcement itself was made on December 23, 2025, the same day the company confirmed the update had been rolled out and the vehicles were back in service.
This recall follows a May 2025 recall of 270 vehicles after a crash in San Francisco, and it comes after a series of NHTSA investigations that began in March 2022 and closed in August 2025. In addition, NHTSA granted Zoox an exemption under its Automated Vehicle Exemption Program on August 6, 2025, allowing the company to operate driverless vehicles in the U.S. while it continues to meet safety standards.
The recall raises questions about the maturity of Zoox’s software and the robustness of its over‑the‑air update process. It could influence Amazon’s broader strategy to deploy autonomous vehicles at scale, as recurring safety issues may erode investor confidence and attract tighter regulatory scrutiny. The incident also highlights the operational risk of rapid OTA rollouts, where new features can introduce unforeseen hazards.
Operationally, the recall will incur costs for software deployment, vehicle downtime, and potential redesign of safety-critical modules. It may also delay Zoox’s projected timeline for commercial deployment and require additional testing and certification to regain regulatory approval. Amazon will likely need to invest in more rigorous validation and monitoring to prevent similar incidents.
In the wider autonomous‑vehicle landscape, Zoox competes with Waymo, Tesla, and other startups, all of which face intense regulatory oversight. The recall underscores the broader industry challenge of balancing rapid innovation with safety compliance. Amazon’s $1.2 billion acquisition of Zoox in 2020 was intended to accelerate its entry into mobility services, but this incident reminds stakeholders that safety and regulatory approval remain critical hurdles to achieving that goal.
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