TOYOTA C-HR · model year

2018 TOYOTA C-HR

311 NHTSA complaints, 10 crash reports, and 1 active recall for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

5 / 5 ★

New Car Assessment Program

The 2018TOYOTAC-HR carries 311 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 10 crashes, 0 fires, 8 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 5/5 rating, with 4/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 4/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2018 C-HR is power train with 147 filings, followed by unknown or other (34) and engine (32). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 1 active recall campaign, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 51 investigation files overlapping the 2018 C-HR, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

311
Complaints
10
Crashes
0
Fires
8
Injuries
0
Deaths
2018 TOYOTA C-HR — NHTSA crash-test profile NHTSA NCAP crash-test star ratings for the 2018 TOYOTA C-HR. Overall composite: 5.0 of 5 stars across 3 safety dimensions. Front CrashSide CrashRollover 5.0 NHTSA NCAP of 5 stars
  • Front Crash 4.0 ★
  • Side Crash 5.0 ★
  • Rollover 4.0 ★
NHTSA overall 5.0/5 stars, with front-crash, side-crash and rollover ratings from standardized NCAP barrier and dynamic tests.

Total Complaints

311 filings

Crashes Reported

10 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.

NHTSA NCAP overall: 5/5 — Top NCAP rating · Front: 4/5 · Side: 5/5 · Rollover: 4/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
POWER TRAIN147
UNKNOWN OR OTHER34
ENGINE32
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM24
SERVICE BRAKES20
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING8
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS6
AIR BAGS5
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL4
STRUCTURE:BODY3
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM3
PARKING BRAKE3
STEERING3
EXTERIOR LIGHTING3
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)2

Recalls (1)

17V71700015/11/2017

PARKING BRAKE

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 c

Recent Complaints

20260219POWER TRAIN

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.

20260205POWER TRAIN

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

20260202ENGINE

The car's transmission starts making noise at 81600 miles on odometer. I turned my car to Toyota certified repair shop to inspecting, Toyota technician told me that the car transmission has fail and needs to be replaced. Toyota is not responsible for replacement. It cost $14000 for the parts plus labors. I had this car for little more than 7 years, The car' transmission has not even reached 100000 miles it fails. Toyota usually making reliable car but this one fail miserably

20260201POWER TRAIN

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

20260131POWER TRAIN

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

20260131FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

I am having issues with the transmission bearings the vehicle is right at 80k miles and the transmission is giving an awful noise

20260130POWER TRAIN

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.

20260128POWER TRAIN

Vehicle has a cvt transmission and has faulty bearings. Started making a dragging rough noise. Needs a whole new transmission.

20260124POWER TRAIN

Transmission bearings

20260122ENGINE

Transmission failure due to CVT bearing failure

20260122UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Transmission failure due to CVT bearing failure

20260120POWER TRAIN

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

20260116POWER TRAIN

A barring in the CVT transmission went out and I was told by the dealer I need to replace the transmission. This is a common failure with this vehicle

20260115POWER TRAIN

Yes, Toyota has extended the warranty for the Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT) on certain C-HR models (specifically 2018-2019) in Canada and potentially the US due to widespread reports of a defective bearing, covering failures up to 10 years or 193,000 km (around 120,000 miles) and offering refunds for past repairs, a move prompted by consumer advocacy, though US action often lags Canada's. Details of the Extension (Canada-focused, but relevant for US): Models Affected: Primarily 2018 and 2019 Toyota C-HRs, with investigations extending to 2018-2022 models. The Problem: A faulty bearing inside the CVT can fail, leading to very expensive ($10,000-$15,000) transmission replacements, notes the Automobile Protection Association (APA). New Coverage: Up to 10 years or 193,000 km (about 120,000 miles) from the original purchase date, with some reports mentioning no mileage cap until September 2026. Reimbursement: The program also provides refunds for owners who paid out-of-pocket for

20260115POWER TRAIN

I noticed a humming sound coming from my car about a month ago. After getting it looked at it is a transmission issue. The same issue many people are having with this model of car. It is drivable for now but for how long I don’t know.

20260113POWER TRAIN

The issue I’m having with my vehicle is my transmission. When I drive it doesn’t want to shift smoothly, grinds and whines when accelerating and braking. The safety on my 17 MONTH OLD daughter is the main one that I transport around and this definitely puts her safety at risk as we could be driving down that posts higher speeds or up hill and loose momentum to go and could be struck by another vehicle. As we hope people pay attention accident death rates rising shows otherwise. The vehicle has been loosed at and diagnosed it’s my transmission and now CNA warranty is bending over backwards to NOT replace it when it is a known issue. There have been ZERO indication that an issue was happening and that puts me and my family at greater risk of injury or death due to negligence of Toyota not making a recall on the transmissions or being transparent about the issue.

20260111POWER TRAIN

Same Problem as almost all 2018 chr has. Bad transmission

20260111ENGINE

My 2018 CHR has a faulty bearing in its transmission. This is a common problem in this make and model. Toyota is quoting customers $13,000 to replace this part. My vehicle started experiencing a noise and when taken to dealership was told the transmission is going out at only 90,000 miles. This is a huge safety concern that they know this is an issue with this vehicle and no recall has been made. This car is a true lemon and customers are being put in danger by owning it with no recall.

20260109POWER TRAIN

I have a 2018 Toyota CHR with of course a CVT transmission. I am around 105k miles with normal maintenance and have had small issues but nothing crazy until now. I have been noticing a strange noise coming from my car and after replacing pretty much every moving part on the car (besides the transmission), the issue is a bearing coming from within the transmission. After doing further research through the NHTSA and other websites it seems like this is an inevitable problem with all models from this make within the year 2017-2022. This is extremely disappointing coming from a lifelong Toyota customer. There seems to be a recall for these units in other parts of North America but not the United States. I would not recommend this car or this company to anyone. Failures in this part exceed the value of the car as of 2026 and it is completely ridiculous that Toyota has not done anything. As a loyal Toyota customer you have lost my business and every time I see someone in this model CHR I can

20260109POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota CH-R. The contact stated that while driving in ECO Mode, there was a humming sound coming from the transmission. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed that the transmission and torque converter were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not covered under a manufacturer’s Extended Warranty Coverage for the failure. The contact stated that a recall for the failure had been issued for certain vehicles manufactured in Canada. The failure mileage was 35,100.

Mileage: 35,100

Compare 2018TOYOTAC-HR to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2018 TOYOTA C-HR have?
The 2018 TOYOTA C-HR has 311 NHTSA complaints, 10 crashes, 0 fires, 8 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2018 TOYOTA C-HR?
The 2018 TOYOTA C-HR received an overall NHTSA safety rating of 5/5, front crash rating of 4/5, side crash rating of 5/5, and rollover rating of 4/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2018 TOYOTA C-HR?
Yes, the 2018 TOYOTA C-HR has 1 recall(s). The most common affected component is PARKING BRAKE. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2018 TOYOTA C-HR?
The most-complained component for the 2018 TOYOTA C-HR is POWER TRAIN with 147 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include UNKNOWN OR OTHER and ENGINE.
Is the 2018 TOYOTA C-HR safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2018 TOYOTA C-HR has an NHTSA safety rating of 5/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.