A Waymo robotaxi got stuck for more than 10 minutes on a flooded Phoenix street Wednesday, caught in what witnesses described as an “AI loop” — inching forward, then backward, then forward again — before nearly reversing into a trailing vehicle. The moment was captured on eyewitness video as flooding affected parts of the Phoenix metro area, leaving at least one autonomous vehicle in the middle of it.
Footage of the incident, reported by the New York Post, shows the confused robotaxi hesitating repeatedly as it tried to navigate the flooded roadway. According to Yahoo News, two Waymo vehicles were actually caught up in the standoff, holding up traffic behind them — one eventually managed to pass through the flooded stretch, while the other remained stuck, rocking back and forth as it tried and failed to find a way around the water.
Flooding Affects Parts of the Valley
The wet September day brought flooding to parts of the Phoenix metro area. The conditions left parts of the Valley dealing with flooded streets.
Conditions like these are exactly the kind of scenario that has repeatedly tripped up Waymo’s autonomous systems. The company previously suspended operations across metro Phoenix in September 2025 due to severe flash flooding, according to KTAR News — an earlier weather-driven service halt in the Valley. During severe storms, Waymo notifies app users that service is temporarily paused to avoid hazardous road conditions, the outlet reported.
Not the First Time Water Has Tripped Up Waymo’s Software
Wednesday’s flooded-street standoff echoes a far more serious episode from earlier this year. On April 20, 2026, an unoccupied Waymo robotaxi drove into floodwaters in San Antonio, Texas, and was swept into Salado Creek, according to KENS 5. Waymo paused its San Antonio robotaxi service following that incident while it developed interim software constraints — a story Hoodline covered in “Waymo Paused In San Antonio.”…