Transmission failure at under 100,000 miles
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.
Engine complaints
38 reportsWithin the last 12 months, rodents have crawled into the engine chewing the wires due to being made o soybean. The first repair was $3000 and the second repair was $1700 I have 6 kids and can’t afford to keep repairing a car that was made with soybean and thus attracts rodents. Why is toyota allowed to put products on the veh…
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Within the last 12 months, rodents have crawled into the engine chewing the wires due to being made o soybean. The first repair was $3000 and the second repair was $1700 I have 6 kids and can’t afford to keep repairing a car that was made with soybean and thus attracts rodents. Why is toyota allowed to put products on the vehicle which are rodent attracted and cost consumers so much to fix.
The night of the incident November 16th, 2025, the transmission in my daughter's 2018 Toyota C-HR failed suddenly while the vehicle was in motion. The car lost the ability to accelerate and then became completely immobile. The failure occurred without warning and with no prior symptoms. She could not shift into drive or reverse.…
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The night of the incident November 16th, 2025, the transmission in my daughter's 2018 Toyota C-HR failed suddenly while the vehicle was in motion. The car lost the ability to accelerate and then became completely immobile. The failure occurred without warning and with no prior symptoms. She could not shift into drive or reverse. My daughter, a [XXX] college student was driving at the time, and the breakdown left her stranded in the dark on a roadway with limited visibility and no safe shoulder. She was in a semi-safe neighborhood. I called AAA as I am a premier member and it took 4 hours to get her car towed. This created a significant safety risk—both the danger of being struck by approaching vehicles and personal safety concerns associated with being stranded alone at night until almost midnight. I am several hours away (Canton, GA) and could not get to her safely. We specifically picked a reliable Toyota model to take to college so that this would not happen. The transmission and related components remain in the vehicle and are available for inspection upon request at my home. The car is not drivable and we are stuck with a costly repair. This appears to be a very common problem with this specific Toyota model even with low milage but no recall has been issues. After the vehicle was towed to Group 1 Toyota in Columbus, GA an inspection by the dealership was performed at a $200 cost to diagnose a transmission failure. A faulty CVT transmission that is not covered under any warranty and is $11,000 to repair. Attached is a report showing excellent condition of other car components. There were no warning lamps, messages, noises, or other symptoms leading up to the failure. The transmission malfunction occurred suddenly, with the first and only indication being the loss of power and inability to move the vehicle. Toyota addressed the issue by no longer using this type of transmission and discontinuing this model but will NOT offer a solution. Please help!! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFOR
I started experiencing a whirring noice coming from the engine of my 2018 Toyota CHR earlier this summer. I took it to a mechanic shop and was told that the noice was coming from the transmission. I had to take it to a transmission shop where they diagnosed the problem coming from my transmission. They quoted $13K & $15K. The To…
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I started experiencing a whirring noice coming from the engine of my 2018 Toyota CHR earlier this summer. I took it to a mechanic shop and was told that the noice was coming from the transmission. I had to take it to a transmission shop where they diagnosed the problem coming from my transmission. They quoted $13K & $15K. The Toyota dealer quoted $12K. I had just paid of the car and was ready to enjoy it. I’m disappointed that Toyota doesn’t have a recall for this problem. It is documented on several online forums and YouTube videos. For what it’s worth I’m documenting this problem. Thank you.
My transmission failed and I took it to the dealership. They recommended I replace the transmission that would cost $11,000. I have 120k miles driven in my car and regular get it maintenance. After looking online I saw that I was not alone with the Ch-r model. It is ridiculous that a repair would cost half of a brand new car. Th…
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My transmission failed and I took it to the dealership. They recommended I replace the transmission that would cost $11,000. I have 120k miles driven in my car and regular get it maintenance. After looking online I saw that I was not alone with the Ch-r model. It is ridiculous that a repair would cost half of a brand new car. This is very anti consumer behaviors coercing car owners to buy new cars since repairing them is so expensive.
The transmission on my 2018 Toyota C-HR has been malfunctioning, and there is a noticeable grinding or rattling noise coming from the front end while driving. The issue occurs consistently during driving. This problem puts my safety at risk because the vehicle hesitates to accelerate properly, and the noise suggests a potential…
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The transmission on my 2018 Toyota C-HR has been malfunctioning, and there is a noticeable grinding or rattling noise coming from the front end while driving. The issue occurs consistently during driving. This problem puts my safety at risk because the vehicle hesitates to accelerate properly, and the noise suggests a potential mechanical failure that could lead to loss of control while driving. The issue has not yet been officially confirmed by the Toyota dealer, but I plan to have it inspected. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The problem started around 67,000 mileages in October, and there were no warning lights or dashboard messages before the issue began. The noise has gradually worsened over time.
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.
I am writing to report a serious and potentially dangerous defect with my 2018 Toyota C-HR. Shortly after purchasing this vehicle, I began experiencing multiple issues related to the transmission. The car makes a persistent whining noise while accelerating, which was immediately concerning for a new vehicle. More alarmingly, the…
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I am writing to report a serious and potentially dangerous defect with my 2018 Toyota C-HR. Shortly after purchasing this vehicle, I began experiencing multiple issues related to the transmission. The car makes a persistent whining noise while accelerating, which was immediately concerning for a new vehicle. More alarmingly, the vehicle sometimes suddenly stops accelerating and begins to jerk unexpectedly while driving. This has happened on the road and creates a hazardous situation for myself and other drivers, as it can be difficult to maintain control of the vehicle, especially in traffic or at higher speeds. Despite owning the car for only a short period, I have been told that repairing these transmission issues will cost thousands of dollars, which is not normal for a relatively new vehicle. These problems are not only inconvenient but also pose a significant safety risk. I believe this may be a manufacturing defect affecting the transmission system. I urge the NHTSA to investigate this matter promptly to protect other consumers and ensure road safety. Thank you for your attention to this urgent issue.
I have a blue/white 2018 C-HR made in Japan. I do regular maintenance on my car monthly with oil changes every 3k miles. I had this car for 3 years only. I bought it from a toyota dealership with only 25k miles with one owner. At 35k miles it was whining and shaking and I took it to toyota to be serviced they kept it for a day a…
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I have a blue/white 2018 C-HR made in Japan. I do regular maintenance on my car monthly with oil changes every 3k miles. I had this car for 3 years only. I bought it from a toyota dealership with only 25k miles with one owner. At 35k miles it was whining and shaking and I took it to toyota to be serviced they kept it for a day and they found nothing wrong. I thought nothing of it but since then my car had this low shake/rattle to it. I've changed sparks and coils thinking it was that. Finally, today at only 49,900 miles with no signs previously this cars transmission blows not allowing me to reverse or switch gears on me and the head gasket blew allowing water to mix with the oil basically totaling my car.
My transmission is going out at 60 thousand miles
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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