Waymo offers automated taxis that are generally safe and inexpensive, but they have been known to get stuck in situations that regular drivers deal with on a regular basis. That’s what happened to one woman in San Diego who is seen being trapped inside a blue Waymo taxi after it wasn’t able to figure out what to do about a flooded road. This is just one of many instances of a robotaxi not being able to deal with an ordinary obstacle and maneuver itself out of harm’s way, heightening concerns that the technology isn’t ready to be rolled out on the streets of America’s busiest cities.
Waymo taxi struggles to deal with flooded streets in San Diego
Video shows a Waymo taxi refusing to drive through a flooded street in San Diego, causing a female passenger to be trapped inside, as posted by a hotel guest named Megan Schmidt on October 29. The clip comes by way of Storyful, per The Weather Network.
The footage shows the Waymo about to go through the road, but as it finds itself deeper in the water, the vehicle stops and promptly goes in reverse. This is despite the water being only a few inches deep. The robotaxi then sits idles in the left lane, keeping the woman inside and not giving her any option but to remain confined in the vehicle.
“There’s a Waymo stuck in the street,” Schmidt says as she zooms in on the robotaxi. “Oh my gosh. Oh my God, this poor woman.”
The video also shows another Waymo being unable to deal with the situation too, as other drivers are forced to go around both automated taxis that had effectively blocked a lengthy segment of the road’s left lane. It’s not until an officer arrives on the scene and is able to drive the vehicle manually through the water that the woman can continue her way to her destination.
While the city doesn’t recommend that drivers proceed through flooded streets, particularly standing water, due to the damage the saltwater can do to vehicles, this is something that San Diego residents are used to dealing with. During this time of the year, the city experiences “king tides” that naturally raise the level of the water, causing coastal flooding that can force the closure of some roads.
As mentioned by local outlet SanDiegoVille, it’s a sensible protocol for the Waymo taxis not to enter the flooded streets, as frustrating as it may be for passengers. It’s a safety precaution that prevents the Waymo from getting stuck further.
However, the robotaxis were unable to remove itself from the roadway and became an obstacle for other drivers. It also required human intervention from an officer, whose time could be better spent on more important tasks other than driving stuck Waymos off the street.
This is not the first time that a Waymo has had trouble getting through water. As shown by The Weather Network, a separate video on September 16 shows another Waymo in Arizona going back and forth, moving forward and reversing multiple times, as it struggled to deal with water in a street after a heavy downpour. Stuck in a loop, the vehicle got stuck in the lane, forcing drivers to maneuver around the Waymo.
That said, these incidents could be due to a software update after Waymo recalled nearly 3,800 of its robotaxis in May 2026, per Houston Public Media. This recall was issued after one Waymo detected a flooded road in San Antonio during heavy rains and chose to continue its path at a reduced speed, causing the vehicle to be swept up and washed away into Salado Creek. Fortunately, no one was in the Waymo at the time, but there could been someone inside. So it’s understandable that the company would want to prevent this scenario at all costs.
