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
What owners actually said
319 reports
Mileage unknown · Apr 5, 2025
Power Train
My Toyota chr 2018 transmission died on me and left me and my family stranded as it’s our only car and can’t afford anything else. Toyota in Salinas California told me 4 months ago it was the transmission making weird noises they’ve quoted $13,000 with no warning lights popping up. There is a lot people complaining about the …
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My Toyota chr 2018 transmission died on me and left me and my family stranded as it’s our only car and can’t afford anything else. Toyota in Salinas California told me 4 months ago it was the transmission making weird noises they’ve quoted $13,000 with no warning lights popping up. There is a lot people complaining about the same issue on the cvt transmission for Toyota
NHTSA ODI #11652903
Mileage unknown · Apr 4, 2025
Power Train
Vehicle feels clunky and check engine light turned on and many other lights. Mechanic says there’s a problem with the transmission.
NHTSA ODI #11652883
Mileage unknown · Mar 31, 2025
Power Train
Transmission failure at 102,000 miles. Purchased used at 70,000 miles. Dealership quoted almost $12,000 to replace transmission. No warning lights or warning messages. No issue(s) ever noted at routine maintenance at dealership. Took car to dealership because car was making a grumbling noise when driven. This is a known issue wi…
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Transmission failure at 102,000 miles. Purchased used at 70,000 miles. Dealership quoted almost $12,000 to replace transmission. No warning lights or warning messages. No issue(s) ever noted at routine maintenance at dealership. Took car to dealership because car was making a grumbling noise when driven. This is a known issue with 2018 Toyota CH-Rs. Should be a class action lawsuit. Toyota aware of issue as "there are now updates in place". Simple google search confirms that this is a known, widespread issue.
NHTSA ODI #11651714
95,000 miles · Mar 24, 2025
Power Train
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota C-HR. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH and attempting to accelerate, there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to diagnose the failure, and advised the cont…
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The contact owns a 2018 Toyota C-HR. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH and attempting to accelerate, there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to diagnose the failure, and advised the contact that the vehicle needed to be taken to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 95,000.
NHTSA ODI #11650311
91,000 miles · Mar 14, 2025
EngineForward Collision AvoidancePower Train
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota C-HR. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the engine revved loudly while the transmission was stuck in low gear. The check engine, power steering, Forward Collision Avoidance, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that upon e…
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The contact owns a 2018 Toyota C-HR. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the engine revved loudly while the transmission was stuck in low gear. The check engine, power steering, Forward Collision Avoidance, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that upon exceeding 25 MPH, the engine revved loudly to 4,000 RPM. The contact drove to the residence, where the vehicle was diagnosed by a mobile independent mechanic. The mechanic determined that the failure was related to the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. Glen Burnie Transmissions was contacted, and the contact was informed that there were several similar vehicles at the location being repaired for the failure. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.
NHTSA ODI #11648296
Mileage unknown · Feb 16, 2025
Power Train
Reported by mechanics that this is a known issue with 2018 CHR at ~80k miles. My car has 86k. Toyota won’t help me because I didn’t have it regularly serviced at the dealership.
NHTSA ODI #11643021
Mileage unknown · Feb 16, 2025
Power Train
I have a 2018 chr and the transmission start make a noise so i bring the car to the Toyota dealer and the transmission shift fine is making noise like some baring or gear is going bad so they told me the transmission needs to be replaced and the cost is $9000 plus labor total $11000 so a cost more than the car so I don’t know wh…
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I have a 2018 chr and the transmission start make a noise so i bring the car to the Toyota dealer and the transmission shift fine is making noise like some baring or gear is going bad so they told me the transmission needs to be replaced and the cost is $9000 plus labor total $11000 so a cost more than the car so I don’t know why Toyota use this type of transmission if the cost so much is not getting reliable anymore that is insane they need to open a recall for this is totally ripping off what they do hopefully they will get a solution for that is not fair are several complaints for the same problems if they use the cvt transmission they supposed to have at least a fair price to replace it to be affordable to the consumer
NHTSA ODI #11642965
Mileage unknown · Feb 15, 2025
Power Train
My Toyota CH-R 2018, has an horrible noise due to CVT transmission problems. Because the bearing is the cause of the failure, and that the failure is a result of a manufacturer’s defect in the transmission. warranty expired, but why the noise was not diagnosed as a pending failure during one of the regular service appointments. …
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My Toyota CH-R 2018, has an horrible noise due to CVT transmission problems. Because the bearing is the cause of the failure, and that the failure is a result of a manufacturer’s defect in the transmission. warranty expired, but why the noise was not diagnosed as a pending failure during one of the regular service appointments. I also have learned that they are many vehicles with this same issue.
NHTSA ODI #11642908
84,000 miles · Feb 3, 2025
Power Train
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota C-HR. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard a loud pitch whining sound while attempting to shift gears. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated the vehicle vibrated when the contact came to a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to the deale…
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The contact owns a 2018 Toyota C-HR. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard a loud pitch whining sound while attempting to shift gears. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated the vehicle vibrated when the contact came to a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 84,000.
NHTSA ODI #11640424
Mileage unknown · Feb 2, 2025
Unknown Or Other
My car has been making a whinny noise while I drive no matter how far with 84,000 miles also when I come to a complete stop the car starts vibrating but in any other gears it doesn’t and when I start driving again the vibrating stops. No lights have popped on my screen. Both Toyota dealership in Salinas California and another …
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My car has been making a whinny noise while I drive no matter how far with 84,000 miles also when I come to a complete stop the car starts vibrating but in any other gears it doesn’t and when I start driving again the vibrating stops. No lights have popped on my screen. Both Toyota dealership in Salinas California and another mechanic shop have told me upon inspections it is my car transmission going bad. This is my only car and only way to get around
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.
2018 Toyota C-HR Problems, Complaints & Recalls | Skip That Year