IllustrationMy transmission broke down, There have been multiple reports of CVT transmission failures. Toyota experimented with a new transmission in the 2017-2020 CH-r models. No disclosures were attached. Replacements are the only option for this repair. Toyota is charging between $10,000-$14,000 for parts and labor.
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.
9 crash reports0 fire reports6 injury reports
Power Train complaints
211 reportsTransmission creating a very load whining sound and feels wrong. It sounds like it’s going to blow up. Mechanic said it’s a known issue that can’t be repaired and no recall has been issued. The car is necessary for college and I’m concerned about the safety of driving it with the potential of total transmission failure.
The CVVT broke. The dealership said a part broke and agreed that it was a "known issue" with this vehicle. Toyota was contacted (Engagement Center) and insisted that it is not a known issue.
Purchased my car, kept up with regular maintenance. Toyota and another mechanic confirm that I need to replace my transmission at 130k miles. It will cost me 12k. This is a known issue from Toyota because of a defective bearing. Yet I as the consumer must foot the bill. This needs to be recalled as it’s a common failure among ov…
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Purchased my car, kept up with regular maintenance. Toyota and another mechanic confirm that I need to replace my transmission at 130k miles. It will cost me 12k. This is a known issue from Toyota because of a defective bearing. Yet I as the consumer must foot the bill. This needs to be recalled as it’s a common failure among over 4 years of this cars model. Toyota of Canada has recalled and issued a warranty extension on all 2018 and 2019 models which replaced this issue FREE OF CHARGE. Toyota US is charging me 12 thousand dollars. Needs a recall
I left my apartment on my way to school when my vehicle suddenly stopped in the middle of the road. I was on a three lane, one way street and I was stuck in the middle. My vehicle could not move forward or backward despite the engine still running and being gear. It was a really busy time of day and I sat there for about 3 hours…
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I left my apartment on my way to school when my vehicle suddenly stopped in the middle of the road. I was on a three lane, one way street and I was stuck in the middle. My vehicle could not move forward or backward despite the engine still running and being gear. It was a really busy time of day and I sat there for about 3 hours, still in the middle of the street, waiting for a tow. A police officer had to sit behind me with his lights on and cones out to prevent other drivers from colliding with me. No warning lights came up on my dash prior to or during the incident. The repair shop diagnosed it to need a new transmission and torque converter costing roughly $16k to fix. My vehicle is under 100k miles and I have seen others complain about the same issue. Toyota Canada has issued an extended warranty on these same vehicles because this is a known issue however, the same cannot be said for the US. My car is currently still in the shop as I am still trying to figure out how I’m going to get it repaired.
CVT Transmission making Whining noise and shifting hard while driving. After extensive research I have discovered this is a common problem with the 2018 CH-R. Extended warranty of 10 years or 150,000 mi available for Canada, but not US. I have been a loyal Toyota owner for over 20 years, owning 5 different Toyotas, and even enco…
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CVT Transmission making Whining noise and shifting hard while driving. After extensive research I have discovered this is a common problem with the 2018 CH-R. Extended warranty of 10 years or 150,000 mi available for Canada, but not US. I have been a loyal Toyota owner for over 20 years, owning 5 different Toyotas, and even encouraged my kids to purchase Toyota due to longevity, reliability, and durability of the products. Our family has owned over 15 Toyota vehicles. Due to Toyotas refusal to take responsibility we will no longer give our business to this company and will tell everyone we know to NEVER purchase a Toyota
Transmission failing, I’ve read this is extremely common on these cars. In Canada they have issued a recall on these vehicles. It’s been making noise for quite a while, it recently started getting. Loud grinding squeaky sounds.
Vehicle has a cvt transmission and has faulty bearings. Started making a dragging rough noise. Needs a whole new transmission.
Transmission bearings
Transaxle assembly, consistent with a possible differential bearing fault no transmission fault I have been quoted of price range $5,000 to $11,000 and have read that for 2018-2019 there have been issues but why is my vehicle not included. I was told by Toyota my vehicle not included in the extended warranty
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.