General Motors’ Cruise division has agreed to recall nearly 1,200 robotaxis due to issues with hard braking, according to the U.S. auto safety regulator on Thursday. This decision follows a safety investigation into the autonomous driving systems of these vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stated that this recall will lead to the closure of the investigation, which was initiated in December 2022 after two injuries were reported in three rear-end collisions.

The resolution of the investigation is a crucial development for Cruise, as it aims to restore confidence with state and federal officials regarding the safety of its vehicles. This move is also a step toward resuming robotaxi operations without backup safety drivers and eventually accepting paying customers.

While Cruise disagrees with the NHTSA’s conclusion on the necessity of the recall, it agreed to the action to close the investigation. A Cruise spokesperson emphasized the company’s commitment to building trust and enhancing transparency in autonomous vehicle technology.

Cruise noted that its vehicles had already received software updates that significantly reduced the likelihood of unexpected braking events. The company provided data to the NHTSA showing that the rate of such events in Cruise AVs is very low compared to human drivers. The NHTSA confirmed that none of the analyzed incidents led to crashes or injuries.

The NHTSA has opened a separate investigation into whether Cruise is taking adequate measures to protect pedestrians with its autonomous robotaxis, which remains ongoing. Additionally, Cruise is under scrutiny from the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission following an October accident where a robotaxi hit a pedestrian who had been struck by another vehicle.

The NHTSA’s review identified 10 crashes involving Cruise vehicles, with four resulting in injuries, based on hard braking data from 7,632 automated driving system incidents.

Last month, GM announced it would indefinitely pause plans for its self-driving Origin vehicle, which lacks a steering wheel. Cruise, alongside other self-driving technology companies such as Alphabet’s Waymo and Amazon’s Zoox, has faced intense regulatory scrutiny following safety concerns.

In response to the October accident and subsequent investigations, Cruise’s CEO resigned last year, and GM announced a reduction in spending on the self-driving unit. After halting all autonomous driving activities post-accident, Cruise resumed supervised autonomous driving in Phoenix with safety drivers in May. The California Public Utilities Commission also imposed a $112,500 penalty on Cruise for failing to promptly provide complete information about the October crash.