Zoox recalls self-driving cars because they may not detect smoke

WASHINGTON, July 17 (Reuters) - Amazon.com AMZN.O self-driving car unit Zoox said Friday it will recall its fleet of 105 autonomous vehicles because they may not detect heavy smoke and could impede emergency personnel.

Last week, the top U.S. auto safety official said self-driving car companies must quickly address a "clear pattern" of driverless vehicles interfering with law enforcement and other first responders that had raised significant safety concerns.

Zoox said Friday that on June 20 an unoccupied Zoox autonomous vehicle encountered heavy smoke that obscured an active emergency fire scene. The Zoox vehicle entered the scene, then braked hard while attempting to steer away before coming to a stop.

The Zoox vehicle under teleguidance reversed after which first responders placed traffic cones at the scene blocking two of the three lanes. Zoox said the software update enhances existing capability of detecting and responding to heavy smoke.

Jonathan Morrison, who heads the U.S. vehicle regulatory agency, said in a letter to AV companies that NHTSA has documented multiple instances of robotaxis driving into active emergency scenes, and other incidents when the vehicles "blocked the paths of ambulances and firefighters, or failed to recognize and respond to basic safety conditions like flashing lights, flares, smoke, fire, and traffic cones."

NHTSA said it would schedule meetings with vehicle developers by the end of the month to solicit solutions. "An AV that cannot safely interact with first responders is a danger to the general public," the letter said.

Local media in Texas reported a Waymo GOOGL.O self-driving vehicle in Dallas in late May partially blocked a route fire trucks were using to get to an apartment building on fire.

Other videos have shown Waymo vehicles blocking an ambulance and driving through an active police scene.