Amazon’s robotaxi company is under investigation after two crashes with motorcyclists

US safety regulators are looking into two crashes involving Amazon’s robotaxi company, Zoox. The Office of Defects Investigation, under the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, opened a preliminary evaluation into Zoox after two separate reports of the vehicles suddenly braking and causing motorcyclists to crash into their rear end.

NHTSA confirms that the Zoox vehicles were operating autonomously when the incidents occurred. The vehicles involved in both crashes were Toyota Highlander SUVs, which Zoox uses for testing and data gathering. According to the Office of Defects Investigation, the investigation covers an estimated 500 vehicles.

The crashes did not involve Zoox’s unique toaster-looking vehicles that lack traditional pedals and steering wheels — which were approved for testing on California roads in 2023. Recently these purpose-built vehicles have started operating at night as well.

This isn’t Zoox’s first run-in with NHTSA. Last year, the agency investigated claims by the company that its driverless vehicle met federal safety standards without an exemption from the government.

Correction May 13th: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified the driving mode of Zoox’s vehicles. They were operating in autonomous mode with safety drivers, not without safety drivers. The article also got the dates wrong for Zoox’s testing operations. The vehicles have been on the road since February 2023, not last March.