2018 Toyota C-HR Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2018 Toyota C-HR, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Powertrain (other)21060.0%
- Engine3810.9%
- Electrical298.3%
- Brakes246.9%
- Driver assistance236.6%
- Airbags51.4%
- Body & structure41.1%
- Steering41.1%
- Fuel system41.1%
- Exterior lighting30.9%
- Transmission20.6%
- Suspension20.6%
- Interior & seats10.3%
- Seat belts10.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
Car began making a grinding sound while driving on an expressway. From that point on, could no longer reach a speed above 30 MPH. Independent Mechanic diagnosed an issue with CVT. Car was inoperable and sat in my driveway for 8+ months as we tried getting Toyota to respond to calls and email. Received a CUSTOMER SUPPORT PROGRAM 26TE06 letter from Toyota on 12Sep2026 explaining that they would provide coverage for the repair. Had the car towed to O'Brien Toyota in Indianapolis. Dealer said that the car would not be covered because they had received a REVISED letter from Toyota that only covered a specific range of CVT serial numbers and while the CVT malfunction, model and year of my car qualified.....my car did not have a CVT serial number in that range and NO REPAIRS WOULD BE MADE! Called the Toyota Brand engagement number and they confirmed that Toyota would not cover the CVT in that range and provided me with a case#: 260922002588.
Purchased vehicle in Costa Mesa, CA. Mileage on vehicle when taken to auto repair shop: 70,037. Request for transmission fluid replacement and diagnostic on front end noise. Notes from Auto Repair Shop: Performed transmission service with cvt service kit. Technician test drove customer vehicle and confirmed there's a rotational groaning from the front of the car. Unable to determine cause at this time, requesting further diagnostic time Performed nvh diagnostic for front end rotational noise concern. Isolated noise to transaxle internal.Technician determined transmission failure (torque converter) and recommended replacement. Afterwards, while driving home and waiting at a red light, vehicle did not accelerate when light turned green. I put the car into park, then back into drive. No movement. Switched to manual mode, no movement. Went back to automatic and car started to go. Felt that the transmission was slipping. I was afraid that it was going to stall out again, so I ran the next light to get onto to the freeway to get my vehicle home ASAP. I will never drive another vehicle with a CVT transmission. If I would have known about any issues with CVT’s, I would NOT have purchased this vehicle.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
When I accelerate from a complete stop. It makes a roaring noise that dies down once the car is in full swing. Toyota dealership is saying that it is a common problem for Toyota CHR and needs to be replaced. Replacement cost from my pocket is $12k
I was driving when the dashboard lights all turned on and started getting warning messages too. The gas pedal wasn't giving anymore and the car would not accelerate. Luckily I was able to roll into a parking lot where we waited almost 2 hours for a tow. The car fortunately was still running so we had the a/c on while waiting (important for later.) Had it taken to a collision center thinking a squirrel got in the engine... that happened a few months ago. They had it towed to Toyota who said there was no issue found and it was most likely a battery issue. No sir it didn't turn off after stalling on me for 2 hours which hello... battery! So he said he would check it again after I informed him I don't feel safe in it. Well next day I get told its the transmission with no warranty because it's just over 60,000 miles. Ridiculous! Oh and no mention of the battery now...
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2018 Toyota C-HR. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 92,433 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 262,136.
Transmission. My car started making loud noises and eventually got to this point where it is not shifting gears. I would put it into drive, press the gas, and it would accelerate and abruptly stop on me. I've had it for less than 10 years and I bought it brand new. Its completely un-drivable.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota C-HR. The contact stated that while driving over a bumpy road surface, the message "See Dealer" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V717000 (Parking Brake). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that recall repairs were a one-time, free-of-charge service, and any additional related failures would be repaired at the owner's expense. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
When I place my car in park and take my foot off the brake occasionally it will still drive. This has happened several times but this last time it did damage to my garage door.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
The car suddenly started shaking and making a weird noise and it turns out the transmission went out. I know I’m not the only one with this issue.
My EPB malfunction light goes off for no reason and kicks my cruise control off . My transmission is now making a crazy noise. Has happened MULTIPLE times since ownership.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
No july 20 I had a car accident, I was driving on my road, and suddenly another car crashed into my car, moving 2 lanes in the opposite direction, the impact was so strong that the vehicle that hit me was completely destroyed. All the bags in the car that hit me exploted, but none of the bags in my car exploted.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota C-HR. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle in the driveway after the vehicle had been serviced at the dealer, he heard an abnormal sound coming from the front driver’s side door. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the impact intrusion prevention bar had fractured and fell inside the door. The dealer informed the contact to take the vehicle to an autobody shop to have the part re-welded. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact he would need to repair the vehicle at his own expense because the warranty had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
EPB MALFUNCTION LIGHT WARNING COMES ON WHILE DRIVING. HAS COME ON A TOTAL OF 15 TIMES SINCE PURCHASING IN 9/19. DEALERSHIP HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE ISSUE. FRONT CAMERA HAS GONE OUT 7 TIMES WHILE DRIVING SINCE PURCHASE, DEALER STATES IT'S FROM THE HEAT. FRONT BUMPER MOLDING IS LOOSE DUE TO WARPED CLIPS USED BY TOYOTA PER THE DEALER
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
The car suddenly started shaking and making a weird noise and it turns out the transmission went out. I know I’m not the only one with this issue.
Unknown cause, went to turn on car and battery had died. Recent inspection shows battery power was great. No lights turned on when car was off. Found forums of other drivers describing the same issue stating their dealerships were unable to address the problem. Dash showed "EPB not available", "Abnormal Voltage" and "Power Steering Low" while driving. Difficult to turn the steerwhing wheel and radio was going in and out. https://www.toyotachrforum.com/threads/abnormal-voltage-steering-power-low-message.6191/ https://www.chrforums.uk/threads/abnormal-voltage-stearing-power-low.2308/ https://m.carcomplaints.com/Toyota/C-HR/2018/steering/steering.shtml
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
I am having issues with the transmission bearings the vehicle is right at 80k miles and the transmission is giving an awful noise
I DID NOT NOTICE ANY ISSUES OR IRREGULARITIES WHILE DRIVING, BUT WHEN I STARTED MY CAR TO LEAVE ONE MORNING, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. I IMMEDIATELY DROPPED IT OFF AT MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. THE PROBLEM ENDED UP BEING A FAULTY FUEL PUMP VALVE WHICH NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, ALONG WITH A COMPLETE FUEL SYSTEM CLEANOUT. THIS IS AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR, WHICH UPON RESEARCHING THE ISSUE, I HAVE FOUND THAT THOUSANDS OF OTHER TOYOTA MODELS HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR. I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST THAT THEY LOOK INTO ADDING THE CH-R TO THAT LIST BECAUSE APPARENTLY THERE IS A PROBLEM AS MY CAR IS LESS THAN 3 YEARS OLD.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
My transmission started failing 4 years after I bout it. And now it’s worse than ever
At my most recent service visit (Oct 2022), I requested information about an issue my C-HR is having ("broken" image on the sideview mirror puddle lights) and was told that the issue was not covered under warranty even though the car was in Toyota’s care for months before I purchased it in 2020 and the issue was a known issue by Toyota. Unfortunately, it did not appear on my vehicle until recently. However, I have found a Toyota Customer Support Program Bulletin (No. POL19-05) on the NHTSA website that says that Toyota would cover the issue under Secondary Coverage for 5 years from the vehicle’s first date of use or 60,000 whichever occurs first. My car is definitely in this time range. I would like to have this issue fixed by Toyota as it appears to qualify as a known defect.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota C-HR. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH and attempting to accelerate, there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to diagnose the failure, and advised the contact that the vehicle needed to be taken to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 95,000.
The car started making a whining noise in the front end around 80,000 miles. The noise became progressively worse and around 84,000 miles I took it to the dealership. They said it was a transmission failure and quoted the repair at approximately $10,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota C-HR. The contact stated that while driving over a bumpy road surface, the message "See Dealer" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V717000 (Parking Brake). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that recall repairs were a one-time, free-of-charge service, and any additional related failures would be repaired at the owner's expense. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
The CVT TRANSMISSION IS MAKING WHINING NOISE. HUNDRRDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS OF REPORTS ON TOYOTA FORUM, YOU TUBE, ECT WITH EXACT SAME ISSUE ON THIS MAKE AND MODEL.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
One day the climate control cluster was inoperable. The lights didn't come on with the vehicle and was unable to change temperature/AC or turn on the blower motor. Took vehicle into Larry H. Miller Toyota Dealership and they told me it was the ECM (wasn't communicating properly with the LAN system) and that the heated seats were affected as well. This is as 2018 with only 30k miles on it and says it's not covered under warranty and I will have to pay $1,500 out of pocket. This was a Manufacturer defect, why is the consumer having to pay for a manufacturers defect?
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE SEAT BELT WAS DEFECTIVE. MY CHILD'S STOMACH WAS STUCK AROUND THE SEAT BELT. I HAD TO STOP AT A SHOP I TRIED TO PULL ON THE SEAT TO EXTEND IT TO RELEASE MY CHILD BUT IT COULDN'T RETRACT. THE SEAT BELT WAS LOCKED AND IT WAS TWISTING ON MY SON'S STOMACH. HE WAS CRYING AND COULDN'T BREATH SO I HAD TO CUT THE SEAT BELT USING SCISSORS.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .