Very loud grinding noise coming from the transmission. It makes the entire car shake.
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.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all C-HR years →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.
Power Train complaints
211 reportsI was driving down the high way with my cruise control set. When all of a sudden my dashboard lights up like a Christmas tree and the engine revs up. As I slow I can hear a grinding sound. The CVT transmission in my car went, it's the only 5 years old I've had every service done on time by Toyota. 90% of the miles on the car ar…
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I was driving down the high way with my cruise control set. When all of a sudden my dashboard lights up like a Christmas tree and the engine revs up. As I slow I can hear a grinding sound. The CVT transmission in my car went, it's the only 5 years old I've had every service done on time by Toyota. 90% of the miles on the car are highway miles, lots of straight line driving. I have seen Toyota has already made a recall on their Corolla that also has the CVT transmission. Other manufacturers that use the CVT transmission have also had it recalled.
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota C-HR. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission…
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The contact owns a 2018 Toyota C-HR. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000.
Vehicle has 59,000 miles on it currently I am a Toyota certified collision tech so I try to fix my own cars and not cause unnecessary visits to the dealer and my car started making a wining/clicking noise early 2022 around 55,000 miles. So I tried to diagnose this problem I replaced both front wheel bearings and it seemed to ge…
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Vehicle has 59,000 miles on it currently I am a Toyota certified collision tech so I try to fix my own cars and not cause unnecessary visits to the dealer and my car started making a wining/clicking noise early 2022 around 55,000 miles. So I tried to diagnose this problem I replaced both front wheel bearings and it seemed to get a little better. Then it got exceptionally worse after about 57,000 miles the noise was always slightly there since I bought the car used with 20,000 miles. So as the noise continued to get louder I scanned the car and found no trouble codes in any of the vehicle systems. So I did some research online and found ALOT of people complaining about the same type of noise and all said they took the car to the dealer and was told the transmission needed to be replaced. So I took my car in because I knew my warranty expired at 60,000 miles. They said my transmission had an internal failure and that all of the fluids and stuff on my car looked great but unfortunately the transmission had broken internally. They also informed me that my warranty had expired in November of 2022. So even with the milage being in warranty because I do my own maintenance and car on my vehicle they were not willing to help with the costs of repair at all. And the best part is the transmission replacement is $10,000!!!! This isn't a Bentley or Lamborghini it's supposed to be a reliable affordable car and I can't think of any vehicle maker that has anything besides tires brakes and fluids that should need to be replaced before 60,000 miles.
General Defect with Transmission causing gear slippage at low RPMs from day one. Car can soft stutter to hard stutter going from idling position to soft press of accelerator. Hard transmission failure starting at 80K mi even with preventative maintenance. additional engine stalls randomly in middle of driving starting to appe…
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General Defect with Transmission causing gear slippage at low RPMs from day one. Car can soft stutter to hard stutter going from idling position to soft press of accelerator. Hard transmission failure starting at 80K mi even with preventative maintenance. additional engine stalls randomly in middle of driving starting to appear with no error codes.
Just rolled over 100K miles and the Toyota service center just diagnosed it saying we need a new transmission. Upon further researching, it turns out the noise that started at 80k miles was actually the transmission failing. After doing a quick google search, it turns out to be a very common issue for this make and model. Toyota…
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Just rolled over 100K miles and the Toyota service center just diagnosed it saying we need a new transmission. Upon further researching, it turns out the noise that started at 80k miles was actually the transmission failing. After doing a quick google search, it turns out to be a very common issue for this make and model. Toyota needs to be held accountable for this, because $10,588.85 to replace the defective transmission for a “lifetime fluid vehicle” is highway robbery.
Transmission went bad after 90K but the buzzing sound has been coming from transmission since 50-60k
The final drive bearing within the continuously variable transmission is causing a whining noise. Diagnoses from the dealer is that the entire transmission needs to be replaced. This component transmits all engine torque to the wheels, and if failure occurs, it could cause overheating, slippage, jerking, or stalling putting the …
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The final drive bearing within the continuously variable transmission is causing a whining noise. Diagnoses from the dealer is that the entire transmission needs to be replaced. This component transmits all engine torque to the wheels, and if failure occurs, it could cause overheating, slippage, jerking, or stalling putting the driver, passengers and all other persons on the road at risk. No indication of the failure was communicated by the vehicle via a light or message. I had to hear the noise, know it was a problem and bring it in to the dealership for diagnoses.
My car started making a whining noise from the engine. I took it into my Toyota dealer, and was told there was an internal bearing failure in the transmission. The transmission would have to be replaced. This is not right for a car only 4 1/2 years old. I contacted Toyota Brand Engagement Center Headquarters. They were of little…
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My car started making a whining noise from the engine. I took it into my Toyota dealer, and was told there was an internal bearing failure in the transmission. The transmission would have to be replaced. This is not right for a car only 4 1/2 years old. I contacted Toyota Brand Engagement Center Headquarters. They were of little help. I have researched other cases on the Toyota forum with exact same problems in the transmission. How can this not be a recall?
Transmission is failing. Apparently it’s a very common problem amongst this car. Bunch of people are complaining about it on here and just a regular google search on any CHR form. This issue needs to be investigated as it may have faulty parts.
Official recalls
117V717000 · 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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