2019 Toyota C-HR Problems: Transmission / driveline (106 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 2019 Toyota C-HR is Transmission / driveline (53% of 106 owner reports). There are 3 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Transmission / driveline — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 106 complaints · 3 recalls

What problems show up on the 2019 Toyota C-HR?

56 of 106 filings named Transmission / driveline (53% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Automatic braking / collision warning (6 reports).

There are 3 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Transmission / driveline and Seat belts. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.

The 2018 has 316 reports on file; this year has 106. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 2019 Toyota C-HR

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

  1. Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 3 campaigns on file below.
  2. Transmission / driveline. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped.
  3. Automatic braking / collision warning. Ask whether the warning lights stay off and whether related recalls were done.
  4. Engine. Have a shop check for oil consumption, coolant leaks, rough idle and unusual engine noise.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Transmission / driveline. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  6. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Transmission / driveline 56 complaints · 52.8% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 3
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 3
  • Deaths 0
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

Which systems owners named Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) appears in 56 of 106 owner complaints (52.8%) in this vehicle snapshot. Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 56 complaints, 52.8% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 1 crash reports 56 · 52.8% Automatic braking / collision warning (FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE): 6 complaints, 5.7% of reports Automatic braking / collision warning (FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE) 6 · 5.7% Engine (ENGINE): 4 complaints, 3.8% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 4 · 3.8% Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY): 4 complaints, 3.8% of reports Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) 4 · 3.8% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 3 complaints, 2.8% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 3 · 2.8% Airbags (AIR BAGS): 1 complaints, 0.9% of reports Airbags (AIR BAGS) 1 crash reports 1 · 0.9% Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING): 1 complaints, 0.9% of reports Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) 1 · 0.9% Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM): 1 complaints, 0.9% of reports Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 1 · 0.9% Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES): 1 complaints, 0.9% of reports Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 1 crash reports 1 · 0.9% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 36 complaints, 34.0% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 36 · 34.0% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 56 52.8% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Automatic braking / collision warning (FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE) 6 5.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 4 3.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) 4 3.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 3 2.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Airbags (AIR BAGS) 1 0.9% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) 1 0.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 1 0.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 1 0.9% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 36 34.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

When reports and recalls showed up Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Oct 2018; the first recall shown was reported in Oct 2018. 2018-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2022-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2024-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2024-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2025-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2025-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2025-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2025-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2026-Q1: 14 owner reports 14 2026-Q2: 18 owner reports 18 2026-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 Owner reports Oct 2018 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 18V710000 ◆ Recall campaign 18V710000 Recall campaign 19V244000 ◆ Recall campaign 19V244000 Recall campaign 19V877000 ◆ Recall campaign 19V877000
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2018-Q4 Owner reports 1
2020-Q2 Owner reports 2
2020-Q3 Owner reports 2
2020-Q4 Owner reports 1
2021-Q1 Owner reports 2
2021-Q2 Owner reports 2
2021-Q3 Owner reports 1
2021-Q4 Owner reports 1
2022-Q1 Owner reports 1
2022-Q2 Owner reports 1
2022-Q3 Owner reports 4
2022-Q4 Owner reports 1
2023-Q1 Owner reports 1
2023-Q2 Owner reports 1
2023-Q3 Owner reports 2
2023-Q4 Owner reports 3
2024-Q1 Owner reports 1
2024-Q2 Owner reports 1
2024-Q3 Owner reports 4
2024-Q4 Owner reports 3
2025-Q1 Owner reports 4
2025-Q2 Owner reports 10
2025-Q3 Owner reports 8
2025-Q4 Owner reports 10
2026-Q1 Owner reports 14
2026-Q2 Owner reports 18
2026-Q3 Owner reports 7
Recall campaign 1 18V710000
Recall campaign 1 19V244000
Recall campaign 1 19V877000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (3)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

In short, these campaigns were filed about Transmission / driveline and Seat belts.

  1. Recall campaign 18V710000

    Transmission / driveline

    Report date
    Component:
    Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
    Consequence:
    If the bolts loosen and damage the rear brake components, or cause a rear wheel to detach, it would increase the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear axle hub bearing bolts. If a bolt is found to be loose or detached, the dealer will replace the rear axle hub bearing assembly and rear axle carrier sub-assembly, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0Y.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  2. Recall campaign 19V244000

    Safety recall 19V244000

    Report date
    Component:
    Unclassified NHTSA leftover
    Consequence:
    If the driver cannot read the label, they may unknowingly overload the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    GST will notify owners, and dealers will provide corrected load carrying capacity modification labels, free of charge. The recall began May 24, 2019. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 19R1.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  3. Recall campaign 19V877000

    Seat belts

    Report date
    Component:
    Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
    Consequence:
    In the event of a crash involving multiple impacts, the seat belt may not properly restrain the occupant, increasing the risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear seat belt assembly production dates, and replace the assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 7, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 19TB22 and 19TA22.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Safety incident filters
Showing 9 of 106 complaints · page 1 of 5
2026-08-25STRUCTUREUnclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 11759536
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Hood latch and hood latch cable corroded on a 7 year old vehicle. hood latch coroded and could have let go at any time and caused harm to myself and others on the road. The problem was evaluated by Bristol Toyota. The latch and cable broke while it was in for service, luckily. There were no warning signs or symptoms of the problem prior to failure.
2026-08-15Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
NHTSA ODI 11757110
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Transmission won’t shift out of manual mode and car won’t move at all even when in drive or reverse. Was working completely fine then all of a sudden got drive start malfunction and won’t move. Called mechanic they came looked at it and they diagnosed it as a transmission problem. Did some research and this is a well known issue that Toyota Canada has acknowledged but Toyota USA won’t. Car is barely over 100k miles and all maintenance has been kept up on. Transmission only issue, but very expensive. There needs to be a recall on these.
2026-08-11Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 11756287
CrashFireInjuryDeath
At 70,000 miles I was just told my transmission id failing. After much research I am finding that this is a common issue with the Toyota CHR and CVT transmissions. Apparently Toyota is aware of this issue but has not issued a recall. I waited to buy this car for years and thought it would be my last car ever. I'm [XXX] and thought a Toyota would last. I just paid it off. You know and I know a transmission should last longer than this. I am so frustrated. Toyota needs to fix this without charge or at least at minimal costs. I am going to tell everyone I know to not buy Toyota anymore if this isn't recalled or fixed. I'm also going to write our President. Donald Trump needs to get involved. Thousands of people are affected. Go look just on Reddit. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
2026-07-31Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
NHTSA ODI 11754044
CrashFireInjuryDeath
While driving my vehicle, it is a consistent clicking loud noise. I had the vehicle checked out twice and both places said the same thing as it is explained down below: Transmission Replacement (Automatic): SEVERE INTERNAL TRANSMISSION NOISE- NOISE LOUDER W/ SPEED. NEED TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION ASSEMBLY- DO NOT RECOMMEND DRIVING VEHICLE MAY BE CATASTROPHIC AND COME APART This statement is from the Toyota dealership.
2026-07-29Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
NHTSA ODI 11753623
CrashFireInjuryDeath
No warning lights, only noticed a new noise like a whirring sound that matches car speed, not acceleration. Had the car looked at and determined it was likely the same CVT transmission bearing failure most CHR owners are experiencing. Toyota is no help and estimates for repair are $6k to $10k from private transmission repair places. Now we have a dud of a car that we still owe money on that isn't even worth the price to repair it.
2026-07-24Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 11752558
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The transmission started having issues once the car hit 100k miles, it is unbelievable that Toyota is not willing to help me with this matter! Toyotas are supposed to be reliable!
2026-07-07Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
NHTSA ODI 11748913
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Noise from front left axel began on XXX. Taken to local garage for diagnostic on XXX at approximately 149,000 miles. Was informed that it likely was the transmission. This was confirmed when taken to Toyota dealership on XXX. National recall was issued in [XXX] by Toyota for the known transmission failure that occurs in the CH-r CVT transmission. No other issues or alerts had occurred prior to the transmission failure. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
2026-06-30Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
NHTSA ODI 11747544
CrashFireInjuryDeath
2019 C-HR is experiencing transmission failure due to a faulty joint. Metal shavings flow into the fluid. Am being told I will need to replace the entire transmission. Toyota is fully aware of the issue with the failures occurring between 75,000 & 120,000 miles. My vehicle is at 107,000. Perfect maintenance record, never missed a service & all work done at the dealership where it was purchased. Research shows Toyota Canada acknowledged the issue & extended the warranty to cover it's customers. Toyota USA refuses to do the same. Estimate out of pocket for this known defect is $9900.00
2026-06-28Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
NHTSA ODI 11746996
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The CVT transmission failed at approximately 60,000 miles. The vehicle was fully maintained by Toyota dealerships. The failure of the transmission bearing will cause the car to lose power and could fail while driving, creating a risk of being stranded in traffic or being unable to accelerate to avoid a collision. Toyota Canada has extended the warranty for this same transmission issue up to 119,924 Miles (193,000 KM) and 10 years on comparable Toyota C-HR vehicles, but Toyota USA has refused to provide the same coverage.” See comments at Toyota Forum [XXX] Please see below Toyota Canada announcement: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 2019 Toyota C-HR?

Owners named Transmission / driveline most often — 56 of 106 reports (53%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 2019 Toyota C-HR?

NHTSA lists 3 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Transmission / driveline and Seat belts. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 2019 Toyota C-HR?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources