GM subsidiary Cruise LLC will voluntarily recall 950 of its self-driving vehicles, representing its entire fleet, to address issues with collision detection systems.
The recall, announced Nov. 8, comes after an Oct. 2 incident in which a Cruise autonomous vehicle struck and dragged a pedestrian in San Francisco. According to Cruise, the collision occurred when a human-driven car hit the pedestrian first, pushing them into the path of the self-driving Cruise vehicle. The Cruise car stopped briefly after impact but then moved forward to pull over, dragging the woman 20 feet.
Previously, Cruise announced that it had decided to suspend its operations in Austin and everywhere else it was operating. That came after dozens of instances of Cruise vehicles unexpectedly stopping in driving lanes, interfering with emergency responders and being involved in several, mostly minor, collisions.
After an internal review, Cruise said it determined the AV Collision Detection Subsystem failed to respond properly. A new software update was developed to prevent similar incidents. The update will undergo testing before unsupervised operations resume.
The California DMV revoked Cruise's driverless testing permits last month, citing public safety risks with no timeline for reinstatement given. The California Public Utilities Commission in October also suspended Cruise’s authority to carry and charge passengers for its robotaxi service.
In an Oct. 26 statement posted on X, in which Cruise announced it was suspending operations, the company said that it needs to focus on rebuilding trust.
"This isn't related to any new on-road incidents, and supervised AV operations will continue," the company said at the time. "We think it’s the right thing to do during a period when we need to be extra vigilant when it comes to risk, relentlessly focused on safety, and taking steps to rebuild public trust."
Cruise vehicles had been giving taxi-style rides without drivers for several months in Austin from 8:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Earlier this month, it expanded its internal ride service for Cruise employees to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. as part of its staged rollout, which was eventually planned to extend to the public. It was also beginning to offer rides farther north and south of downtown for friends and family of the company's employees.
Alongside the recall, Cruise announced Nov. 8 new safety initiatives like establishing a Chief Safety Officer role and retaining outside experts to analyze the October crash. The company has appointed its vice president of safety and systems, Louise Zhang, to serve in the role in the interim while it searches for a permanent candidate.
The company's board has also retained the law firm Quinn Emanuel to look into the Oct. 2 incident, particularly Cruise's interactions with law enforcement, regulators and the media.
"We are dedicated to building a better Cruise, and these initial actions are just some of the steps we’re taking as we listen, learn, and improve," Cruise said in the blog post. "We are committed to keeping our customers, regulators, and the public informed throughout this process."
