New Delhi, July 20 -- SAN FRANCISCO - A Zoox robotaxi stopped in the middle of an active fire scene on June 20, unable to navigate through heavy smoke, and had to be manually reversed by a remote teleoperator. The incident triggered the company's fourth NHTSA software recall in 16 months, raising questions that go beyond any single edge case and into the reliability pattern of one of autonomous driving's longest-developing programs.

The recall covers 105 vehicles. TechCrunch reported the filing, citing NHTSA records from July 17. A Zoox vehicle braked hard and stopped at an active wildfire scene after its sensors were overwhelmed by heavy smoke. No passengers were on board and no injuries were reported. A teleoperator assumed remote cont...