The internal transmission bearing defect causes sudden unpredictable loss of propulsion of the vehicle and creates a high risk on the interstate which is where I drive most the time and risks those in my car or around me. The dealer confirmed the issue. There are no warning lights just a whine while driving.
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 reports1) CVT transmission bearing failed. Currently available for inspection. 2) Loud humming noise while driving, louder with higher rpms. If continue driving would lose complete power of vehicle causing extreme safety risk at high speeds. 3) CVT transmission has been inspected by Toyota dealership. 4) There were no warning lamps, me…
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1) CVT transmission bearing failed. Currently available for inspection. 2) Loud humming noise while driving, louder with higher rpms. If continue driving would lose complete power of vehicle causing extreme safety risk at high speeds. 3) CVT transmission has been inspected by Toyota dealership. 4) There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. Failure first appeared on XXX and diagnosed on XXX. Note: Toyota has already officially extended the warranty on this exact part for 2018 C-HRs up to 120,000 miles in [XXX] due to defective bearings. This vehicle is in the exact failure window, unfortunately Canada's extension does not apply in the United States. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
A noise from under the hood kept getting louder. When I took it to the Toyota dealership for inspection, they determined that a bearing in the CVT transmission failed causing the transmission to need total replacement. I can not safely drive my car because the transmission could fail at any time. This issue has been widely rep…
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A noise from under the hood kept getting louder. When I took it to the Toyota dealership for inspection, they determined that a bearing in the CVT transmission failed causing the transmission to need total replacement. I can not safely drive my car because the transmission could fail at any time. This issue has been widely reported for the 2018 Toyota C-HR and possibly other year models. There was no warning other than the whining noise that continued to get louder. I was quoted an estimate of $11,868 for repairs.
I experienced a sudden transmission failure on roadway. This is a severe safety hazard. I lost all powertrain to my car while in motion. I had to coast the car onto side road at 4am on 6-15-26. Upon further investigation this car year 2018, make toyota and model ch-r, has premature K114 CVT transmission.
The transmission is failing and it has been confirmed. When it is being driven it makes loud sounds that can be heard over the radio.
I bought the car in May of 2021 with roughly 40,000 miles. It is now June of 2026 and I have roughly 111,000. Regularly maintenanced. My front sensor system went out last year, so I cannot use cruise control, auto brights, lane assist, emergency braking system, etc. It is a pretty penny to replace that. My transmission is now…
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I bought the car in May of 2021 with roughly 40,000 miles. It is now June of 2026 and I have roughly 111,000. Regularly maintenanced. My front sensor system went out last year, so I cannot use cruise control, auto brights, lane assist, emergency braking system, etc. It is a pretty penny to replace that. My transmission is now going out and I am faced with replacing the transmission or replacing the vehicle that I still owe money on- roughly $8,500. There are no warning signs other than the signs for my front sensor system not working. I have seen other complaints with the exact problems I am facing and I believe a recall is appropriate.
Transmission went out at 103,000 miles. Transmission replacement is over 10,000. Known issue with vehicle and Toyota will not offer any support to fix.
Transmission Failure. I purchased a 2018 model year Toyota CH-R new from a dealer and recently heard a clicking/grinding noise from some component of the powertrain. Inspection by an independent automotive repair shop and a Toyota dealership have advised the problem is a non-specific transmission issue (without removing and ta…
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Transmission Failure. I purchased a 2018 model year Toyota CH-R new from a dealer and recently heard a clicking/grinding noise from some component of the powertrain. Inspection by an independent automotive repair shop and a Toyota dealership have advised the problem is a non-specific transmission issue (without removing and taking apart the transmission, the precise transmission component which is failing can not yet be determined). In conducting some research, it appears that the 2018 Toyota CH-Rs sold in North America were equipped with an automatic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) which has since been shown to have a known transmission bearing defect primarily affecting the 2018-2020 model years. With the 2018 model year appearing to be the most problematic model year (41% of reports). Consequently, Toyota Canada has initiated an extended warranty for the CVT in this model for vehicles purchased in Canada which reportedly extends the warranty to 10 years and an unlimited number of miles for repairs made before September 2026. Unfortunately, Toyota within the United States does not appear to have provided this same consideration for a problem which Toyota would appear to admit is a known issue. It is unclear (to me) whether this matter would be considered a 'safety issue', although I would assume a seizing transmission while at highway speeds would certainly be a concern for the driver/passengers of that vehicle and possibly other drivers in proximity when this occurs; and this is a systemic issue in a specific make/model of vehicle. I am basing my information provided from the Canadian Automobile Protection Association (APA), found at www.apa.ca website (specific link to issue: [XXX]). Additional sites claiming the same or similar information can also be found online. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I have taken my car to the dealership some I bought it. With less than 100K miles already has a faulty transmission. This failure was already recognized and in Canada. The dealer wants almost 14K to replace it. This is not fair. A less than 100k should not be having these problems.
High-pitched whining or droning noise in the transmission area. internal bearing inside the K114 CVT
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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