Ethermac Exchange-GM recalls nearly 1,000 Cruise AVs across nation after robotaxi dragged pedestrian

General Motors is Ethermac Exchangerecalling nearly 1,000 of its driverless cars from roads across the nation after one of its vehicles inadvertently dragged a pedestrian after a crash in San Francisco, the Detroit-based company said.

The recall notice affects the American automaker's Cruise autonomous vehicles because of a post-collision response issue that could increase safety risks, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports.

In an announcement Tuesday, traffic safety administration officials said the problem can be resolved with a software update.

According to the agency's report, the robotaxis Collision Detection Subsystem (CDS) detects crashes and, in many cases, will pull over and out of traffic after a wreck. In some cases, the vehicle will stop and remain stationary.

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The response depends on crash circumstances, including other drivers or people involved in the incident where the vehicle is struck, the NHTSA said.

In some instances, a crash can take place and, after impact, the CDS can cause the vehicle "to attempt to pull over out of traffic instead of remaining stationary when a pullover is not the desired post-collision response. This issue could occur after a collision with a pedestrian positioned low on the ground in the path of the AV," the agency wrote in its report.

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Pedestrian struck in two-vehicle crash

The report said the accident took place Oct. 2 in San Francisco, when a person was struck by a hit-and-run driver and thrown into a nearby lane and struck a second time by a Cruise vehicle unable to stop in time.

"After coming to an initial stop, the AV attempted to pull over out of traffic, pulling the individual forward," the report says.

Cruise immediately launched a crash investigation and on Oct. 26 "proactively paused operation" of its driverless fleet to "address the underlying risk."

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Software update slated to correct issue

Cruise has developed a software update, the company said, that would have allowed the Cruise AV involved in last month's San Francisco incident to have remained stationary after being struck.

All affected vehicles are slated to be repaired before returning to service on streets, the traffic safety administration said.

Owners and dealers do not require notification of the recall, regulators said, because Cruise AVs "have never been offered for sale to third parties" and are solely owned by Cruise.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.