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2018 Toyota C-HR

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most C-HR years

Owner complaints for the 2018 Toyota C-HR are substantially higher than the model-year median of 48.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 60 of 319 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Power Train. Review the 211 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 38 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 29 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

9 crash reports0 fire reports6 injury reports

Power Train complaints

211 reports
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Mileage unknown · Nov 12, 2025
Power Train

Faulty CVT transmission

NHTSA ODI #11698921

82,960 miles · Nov 12, 2025
Power Train

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota C-HR. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal whining sound that became louder during acceleration. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was then …

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The contact owns a 2018 Toyota C-HR. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal whining sound that became louder during acceleration. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the bearings in the transmission had failed, causing the transmission failure. The dealer determined that the transmission needed to be replaced and provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact stated that the vehicle had been recalled in Canada due to the same failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 82,960.

NHTSA ODI #11698904

Mileage unknown · Nov 5, 2025
Power Train

At just under 83,000 miles my transmission began to make a whining sound which increased upon acceleration. I immediately had mechanic check it, then took it to my dealership where they diagnosed the problem as defective ball bearings within the transmission. I have contacted Toyota Corporate office and reported the problem with…

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At just under 83,000 miles my transmission began to make a whining sound which increased upon acceleration. I immediately had mechanic check it, then took it to my dealership where they diagnosed the problem as defective ball bearings within the transmission. I have contacted Toyota Corporate office and reported the problem with a request for no charge replacement. It's been crickets for 2 weeks. I did find that this is not just my vehicle as Toyota Canada did a recall on this and extended the warranty to 10 years/100,000 miles. There are many others in U.S. reporting same problem; and many YouTube videos documenting the same. This could be a danger when driving should the transmission stop functioning in heavy traffic; could cause a serious life threatening accident. Toyota must do the right thing and recall all affected vehicles. Customers should not have to pay $13,600.00 to replace transmission when Toyota is very aware if this defect.

NHTSA ODI #11697585

Mileage unknown · Nov 4, 2025
Power Train

Bad transmission. Appears to be a widespread issue.

NHTSA ODI #11697328

Mileage unknown · Oct 28, 2025
Power Train

Car making a whining noise Took it to the mechanic and they diagnosed it as a transmission issue Looked online and noticed that this is a common issue that multiple people with this model are experiencing

NHTSA ODI #11696188

Mileage unknown · Oct 27, 2025
Power Train

There are multiple reports across North America and Canada about 2018 Toyota C-HR Transmission making noise because of the bearing failing. Canada already issues a Warranty Enhancement Program (WEP) to offer owners of this vehicle at no cost to help them get a repair and replacement of the transmission because this is a high val…

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There are multiple reports across North America and Canada about 2018 Toyota C-HR Transmission making noise because of the bearing failing. Canada already issues a Warranty Enhancement Program (WEP) to offer owners of this vehicle at no cost to help them get a repair and replacement of the transmission because this is a high value repair cost at around $5,000-$10,000. I hope you can do something about this and help us get this similar program at least here in the US. I am including the link for the Warranty Enhancement program for this issue. Thank you! [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11695878

Mileage unknown · Oct 27, 2025
Power Train

2018 TOYOTA CH-R DEAD TRANSMISSION OVER ONE YEAR AGO -139,000 MILES DEALERSHIP REPAIR BIDS $12,000 AND $9,930. NO REPAIR ATTEMPTED CANDA APA Toyota has extended the warranty on the 2018 and 2019 C-HR coupe to cover CVT transmission failures up to 10 years or 193,000 km. A defective bearing inside the transmission can fail over …

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2018 TOYOTA CH-R DEAD TRANSMISSION OVER ONE YEAR AGO -139,000 MILES DEALERSHIP REPAIR BIDS $12,000 AND $9,930. NO REPAIR ATTEMPTED CANDA APA Toyota has extended the warranty on the 2018 and 2019 C-HR coupe to cover CVT transmission failures up to 10 years or 193,000 km. A defective bearing inside the transmission can fail over time, resulting in a very expensive repair. Consumers reported spending $10,500 to $15,000 at a Toyota dealership to replace the entire CVT transmission. The warranty extension carries no mileage limitation [XXX] OP • 4mo ago Definitely Toyota manufacturing in Canada has already began to work with their national highway association to pressure for extended warranties. I would contact the Canadian Toyota manufacturer wait for the customer satisfaction advocacy option. It’s one of the last on the menu so just be patient and then they’ll lead you in the right direction from there. [XXX] [XXX] • 2mo ago I called corporate told them my situation said that I came on Reddit and I went on the web and I did research and found out that this is a common problem of transmission failure failure at low mileage. I had 60,000 miles on my 2018 told them that there are going to be class action lawsuits against them coming up. They called me the next day and said they would repair mine for free. I have a year warranty. I got my car back in three days. I was totally blown away. Toyota actually really came through. [XXX] • 1mo ago Omg!! I'm gonna have to try this. My transmission also just went out this week 120k miles and 2019. I'm so upset and don't know what to do!! I love my CHR so much INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11695864

Mileage unknown · Oct 25, 2025
Power Train

CVT transmission failure after owning this vehicle for two years. I bought this vehicle in feb 2023 for my daughter in college and she has put only around 35k miles since the purchase. She took the car to the Toyota dealer oct 2025 reporting a whining noise and they stated the car now needs a complete replacement transmission co…

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CVT transmission failure after owning this vehicle for two years. I bought this vehicle in feb 2023 for my daughter in college and she has put only around 35k miles since the purchase. She took the car to the Toyota dealer oct 2025 reporting a whining noise and they stated the car now needs a complete replacement transmission costing $11,000. I am a single father and and still owe over $11000 on this car. Please consider a national recall on this transmission. I do not have financial resources to fix this car or purchase a new car for my daughter.

NHTSA ODI #11695608

Mileage unknown · Oct 24, 2025
EnginePower Train

My 2018 Toyota, which has around 96,000 miles, is experiencing transmission failure. I recently had it inspected by an independent repair shop, and they confirmed the issue is caused by a bad bearing inside the transmission—a problem they mentioned is common for this model. The transmission makes a loud whining noise and could f…

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My 2018 Toyota, which has around 96,000 miles, is experiencing transmission failure. I recently had it inspected by an independent repair shop, and they confirmed the issue is caused by a bad bearing inside the transmission—a problem they mentioned is common for this model. The transmission makes a loud whining noise and could fail at any time, which puts my safety and the safety of others at risk since it could cause the car to lose power or stall in the middle of the road. There were no warning lights, messages, or signs before the issue started. I contacted Toyota about the problem, but they refused to cover the repair because the vehicle is out of warranty. However, given how new the car still is and that this issue is known to occur in similar models, I believe this is a safety hazard that Toyota should take responsibility for.

NHTSA ODI #11695457

Mileage unknown · Oct 19, 2025
Power Train

I am reporting repeated transmission failures and unsafe driving behavior in my 2018 Toyota C-HR. The transmission was first replaced at approximately 89,000 miles under an extended warranty due to whining noises and slipping. Since then, I have returned to the dealership three separate times with the same symptoms. The dealer a…

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I am reporting repeated transmission failures and unsafe driving behavior in my 2018 Toyota C-HR. The transmission was first replaced at approximately 89,000 miles under an extended warranty due to whining noises and slipping. Since then, I have returned to the dealership three separate times with the same symptoms. The dealer acknowledges the issue but has not performed any corrective repairs. The vehicle now exhibits the same failure symptoms again at 124,000 miles. These include whining noises when accelerating, hesitation to engage, and intermittent loss of power. This creates unsafe driving conditions, especially when merging or crossing intersections. Details and Pattern: Toyota Canada has publicly acknowledged a faulty bearing inside the CVT transmission for the 2018–2019 Toyota C-HR and extended the warranty to 10 years / 193,000 km. My vehicle has the same CVT transmission (K114) and was built in the same factory (Turkey). Toyota USA has not offered any comparable warranty extension or recall, despite identical vehicles experiencing the same failures. Numerous other U.S. owners have reported similar CVT failures to NHTSA and CarComplaints.com. This appears to be a widespread safety defect related to the transmission’s internal bearing or CVT assembly, which can cause loss of power and control while driving. Requested Action: I request that NHTSA investigate the 2018 Toyota C-HR CVT transmission for design or manufacturing defects, including bearing failure, and determine whether a U.S. recall or extended warranty campaign should be issued as Toyota Canada has already done.

NHTSA ODI #11694359

Official recalls

1

17V717000 · Parking Brake

Nov 15, 2017

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018 Toyota CH-R vehicles. The electronic parking brake (EPB) may not operate properly, possibly causing the parking brake not to disengage after it is applied or prevent it from being applied. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard FMVSS number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the EPB cannot be applied, there is an increased risk of a vehicle rollaway if the vehicle is parked on a hill without being placed into "Park."

Remedy: Toyota has notified owners, and dealers will update the programming of the skid control ECU as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on November 30, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is H0W.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.