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
55,000 miles · May 7, 2024
Power Train
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota C-HR. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed a grinding sound when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised that the service manager would go to the residence and the vehicle would be driven to…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota C-HR. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed a grinding sound when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised that the service manager would go to the residence and the vehicle would be driven to the dealer by the service manager. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed transmission and that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and agreed to assist with the cost of the repair. In addition, the contact was advised to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.
NHTSA ODI #11587492
Mileage unknown · May 7, 2024
Power Train
83,000 Miles. Buzzing sound coming from transmission. Diagnosed by Toyota garage and an independent garage. I was told the transmission must be replaced at a cost of $9,400. This seems to be a recurring problem, especially with the 2018 Toyota C-HR CVT transmission. Upon researching this problem, I have found many complaints abo…
Read full complaint
83,000 Miles. Buzzing sound coming from transmission. Diagnosed by Toyota garage and an independent garage. I was told the transmission must be replaced at a cost of $9,400. This seems to be a recurring problem, especially with the 2018 Toyota C-HR CVT transmission. Upon researching this problem, I have found many complaints about this problem in Toyota C-HR forums some consumers having the problem with their C-HR as low as 30,000 miles! This is unacceptable and I suggest all repair costs be refunded and a recall be processed. It is obvious that there is a manufacture fault with that particular transmission. Please note that the cost of this repair is a devastating financial set back to those involved. My C-HR book price is $16,000 and a rather low-milage vehicle. This repair cost is well over half the value of the vehicle and emotionally I am distraught over this imposed financial burden that is the fault of the manufacture producing faulty product. Thank you for your consideration, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA ODI #11587399
Mileage unknown · Apr 16, 2024
Air BagsCrash
I was driving on the highway when I hydroplaned due to bad weather and hit the cement wall head on. The airbags did not deploy. There were no lights prior to failure. My insurance said that it was surprising that the airbags did not deploy given the extensive frame damage to my vehicle. My safety was put at risk due to potential…
Read full complaint
I was driving on the highway when I hydroplaned due to bad weather and hit the cement wall head on. The airbags did not deploy. There were no lights prior to failure. My insurance said that it was surprising that the airbags did not deploy given the extensive frame damage to my vehicle. My safety was put at risk due to potentially enduring life threatening injuries if any other cars hit me. My vehicle was totaled and taken possession of by insurance.
NHTSA ODI #11583443
Mileage unknown · Apr 5, 2024
EnginePower TrainUnknown Or Other
Power train failed on my 3 year old car. It could've been catastrophic if it failed on the road. The CVT transmission is a mess. It's also caused undue financial burden on every CHR owner since the power train had continued to fail uncontrollably. This car was traded in since the transmission had failed. There should be a recall…
Read full complaint
Power train failed on my 3 year old car. It could've been catastrophic if it failed on the road. The CVT transmission is a mess. It's also caused undue financial burden on every CHR owner since the power train had continued to fail uncontrollably. This car was traded in since the transmission had failed. There should be a recall on every CVT that was manufactured in 2018. Every owner and previous owner should be compensated for the loss. After market and rebuilt power trains weren't available since the car was 3 years old. Almost $10k to replace this transmission. This car was taken to a Toyota dealer who assured me that is was "cupped tires". I'm confident that they knew what the problem was. By the time the power train failure was detected, the car was out of warranty. Thanks
NHTSA ODI #11581395
Mileage unknown · Apr 5, 2024
Power Train
Humming noise coming from the engine that gets louder the faster you go. Toyota needs to recall this transmission as the Toyota dealership quoted 11,000 USD to repair and they said it's a transmission issue. Car has 109k miles and this appears to be a common issue if researched online.
NHTSA ODI #11581367
Mileage unknown · Apr 1, 2024
Power Train
Transmission failure at 50,000miles. Apparently thus is a very poorly designed Transmission and many many owners of this vehicle have had their Transmission go out. TOYOTA will not admit responsibility and a class action needs filed. Toyota will not do the right thing and fix their faulty Transmission.
NHTSA ODI #11580561
Mileage unknown · Mar 29, 2024
Power Train
My wife was driving the vehicle after taking it from its service around 58,000 miles and started hearing whirring noise coming from the front of the car and after returning from an overseas trip, I looked at it and thought that the wheel bearing was going. The mileage was only 59,003 miles. So, I scheduled a diagnostic service a…
Read full complaint
My wife was driving the vehicle after taking it from its service around 58,000 miles and started hearing whirring noise coming from the front of the car and after returning from an overseas trip, I looked at it and thought that the wheel bearing was going. The mileage was only 59,003 miles. So, I scheduled a diagnostic service at the Green's Toyota of Lexington dealer, paid for it and Toyota and was told me that the transmission pump was failing, at 59,235 miles, but since the car was over 5 years old, which I purchased on 11/17/2017, warranty ended even though the car did not reach 60000, and that the cost estimate was $13,000+. I took it to a Power Transmission shop for a second option, paid for another diagnostics, and they stated that the transmission bearing is failing, and the transmission needs replacements, and that the cost estimate, for a remanufactured transmission, was $8,000+. I called Toyota, submitted report, C-HR Forum chats documentation that show other owners having issues even sooner, and they stated that since the car Power Train warranty was up, they could not do anything. And now I am seeing here over 112 complaints about the same issue when Toyota only recommends, on their maintenance manual, to change the transmission oil at 60,000 miles, not even an inspection before...., and the dealer that maintains my car looked at it around mileage 58,000, did not say nothing and scheduled the next service for 63,000 with no mentioning. So now, I have a $13,000 bill to pay to replace the transmission on a car that I paid $25,000+ for, but now only worths $19,000 and Toyota is taking no responsibility for this CVT transmission issue. Now, I have to fix and trade this car because I am afraid the transmission will go again, and I no longer have a warranty. I could have been in big trouble if I had continued to drive this vehicle as when the transmission would have gone it could have been anywhere. Plus, the cost of that transmission costs almost another c
NHTSA ODI #11580048
Mileage unknown · Mar 21, 2024
Power Train
Whining noise coming from transmission. Apparently, transmission bearing is not serviceable and new transmission is recommended.
NHTSA ODI #11578730
Mileage unknown · Jan 31, 2024
Power Train
Whirring sound from front end when you start to accelerate and get louder as you speed up. Dealer recommended replacing transmission for thousands of dollars...
NHTSA ODI #11569160
110,000 miles · Jan 19, 2024
Power Train
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota CH-R. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at undisclosed speeds, an abnormal clicking noise was detected while speaking with her on the Bluetooth system. The contact stated that the noise was heard at 5 to 60 MPH. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota CH-R. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at undisclosed speeds, an abnormal clicking noise was detected while speaking with her on the Bluetooth system. The contact stated that the noise was heard at 5 to 60 MPH. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
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