25 complaints reported

2020 Toyota C-HR Power Train

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
25
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Sep 2026

My transmission started making whining noises about 100000 miles I brought it in to get diagnosed and was confirmed that my transmission is going out and will cost 10000 dollars to replace the car made it to about 130000 miles and the transmission fully went out the car is sitting behind my house currently waiting for me to raise the money to fix it the car was used for daily commute to work and had regular maintenance and I don't beat on my vehicles so there was nothing done on my half to cause any damage to the transmission

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Oct 2025
Aug 2026

Car is making a clunking/whirring noise that speeds up with acceleration and slows with deceleration. Also beginning to have a vibration. No warning lights on the dashboard. Dealer states an entire new transmission is needed, more than $11,000. This is a large financial burden. I see reports online that there is a known issue with the CVT transmissions in C-HRs causing failure, and Toyota Canada has extended warranties to cover the problem. Toyota USA has not yet. As this is a known problem with this part, please initiate a recall or encourage a warranty extension, something to address this so that transmissions are not failing on the road - most owners do not have this amount of money to cover a sudden, expensive repair/replacement like this.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Jul 2026
Aug 2026

Transmission failed days of buying the car used. Had less than 90,000 miles on it.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Jun 2025
Aug 2026

Trans is shot bearing went in it I understand they had problems with 2018-2019

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Dec 2025
Jul 2026

Transmission appears to be shifting hard at times.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: May 2026
Feb 2026

I have a 2020 Toyota C-HR with 95,000 miles. The transmission is making whining noises and needs to be replaced. This is a known defect that has been reported by an excessive amount of Toyota C-HR owners. In some regions, it was reported that Toyota extended the warranty on the CVT transmission for certain 2018–2019 models to 10 years or 193,000 km but they have not done this with the 2020 C-HR that has the exact same issue. [XXX] I am scared to drive the car because I don't want it to leave me stranded. The local Toyota dealer has given me a repair estimate of over $13,000 which is almost as much as the car is worth. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Feb 2026
Feb 2026

The front of the car started making a high pitched whining noise at around 115000 miles. I had the breakpads and the rotors replaced but the sound kept on. Then the dealership said that the transmission is causing the noise. There were no warnings prior to the sound.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Dec 2025
Jan 2026

ONLY AFTER 5YRS THE TRANS NEEDED TO BE REPLACE THERE SHOULD BE A WARRANTY FOR THIS TRANS THERE IS ONE FOR 2018 2019

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Mar 2026
Dec 2025

Purchased a used 2020 Toyota CH-R at Fairless Motors in the Philadelphia, PA area. As I was driving homw, noise at front right began. Took to mechanic as per dealer's request and was diagnosed with a transmission failure that required a complete replacement at $11,500. I purchased the car for $20,000, only drove it for one day and am now stuck making $500 per month payments for a car that does not run

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Jun 2025
Nov 2025

CAR STARTED MAKING A HUMMING, WHINING TYPE NOISE. I WORK OUT OF TOWN SO WHEN WE WERE ABLE TO GET VEHICLE IN TO DEALERSHIP THEY STATED THAT IT IS THE TRANSMISSION. AND THE COST WAS OVER $10000 TO FIX. THIS IS A 5 YEAR OLD CAR!!! I STILL OWE $7000 ON THE CAR!!! I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY ANOTHER CAR PAYMENT TO KEEP MY CAR GOING!!! I STARTED TO LOOK THINGS UP AND WE TOOK CAR TO A TRANSMISSION PLACE. THEY LOOKED IN TO IT AND STATED YES THE TRANISMISSION NEEDS REPLACED. THEY COULD ONLY FIND 1 OF THE PIECES NEEDED TO FIX TRANSMISSION. THEY ARE CHARGING $9000 ON IT. I CANT AFFORD TO BE DOING ALL OF THIS! HARD PART IS 5 YEARS AGO I WAS IN A MAJOR ACCIDENT BEING HIT BY A SEMI TRUCK. I HAD A CHR AT THE TIME. IT IS UNKOWN HOW I LIVED THROUGH EVERYTHING. THE CAR WAS DESTROYED. ODDLY ENOUGH THE DEALERSHIP ENDED UP GETTING A CHR THE WAS THE SAME AS MINE JUST NEWER. IT WAS MEANT FOR US TO GET THE VEHICLE. THIS CAR SAVED MY LIFE. SO WE BUY THE NEW CHR AND NOW THIS!!! I WAS OUT OF WORK FOR MONTHS, AND MEDICAL BILLS ARE ASTRONOMICAL!! PLEASE HELP! MY HUSBAND NAME IS [XXX] , THE VEHICLE WILL BE UNDER HIS NAME INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Jan 2025
Nov 2025

Transmission went out dropping daughter off at school.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Nov 2025
Nov 2025

My transmission went out @105k without any warning. There is no engine light warning or anything. I can shift the gear into reverse, neutral, and drive but the car will not move. Took to dealership and was told that to fix the problem I have to change a whole new transmission which was quoted at 11.3k

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Aug 2025
Oct 2025

Good evening, My 2020 Toyota C-HR’s transmission broke down today while I was driving my kids to school. The car was last serviced on September 27, 2025, and at that time, no issues were mentioned regarding the transmission. I paid $269.19 for the service and $597.65 for the brake pad replacement. I was not expecting such a serious issue, especially with a relatively new car. The repair estimate I received is over $11,000, which I cannot afford. I’m a single mother living alone with my children, and this situation has put me in a very difficult position. I kindly ask that Toyota review my case for possible goodwill assistance or partial coverage, given that the car has been regularly maintained and is only slightly past the warranty limit. Thank you for your time and understanding. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Oct 2025
Oct 2025

I was driving down the street, n while pressing on the gas , the car felt like the car was slowing down, even though still pressing the gas. You could hear the Rev of the engine. I was in a middle lane at the time, n was out at risk as I could not accelerated safely to get to an outside lane, car coasted where I was able to pull into a parking lot. Car will crank, can hear car rev, while putting in gears, seems you can hear the gears shift. However the car will not move in any gear. Few mechanics pass by the area and stated the transmission has failed. Only 120k on car. There is no warning light that lit up, no check engine light. Just all of a sudden, out.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Oct 2025
Oct 2025

The bearing in the transmission has failed at 92384k miles. This is a known issue and Toyota has not issued a recall. My car is currently at the dealership I am waiting to hear if it's to be repaired or replaced.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Nov 2025
Sep 2025

Transmission failure.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Apr 2025
Aug 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota C-HR. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormally loud humming sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact stated that the transmission was hesitating while shifting into gear. The contact stated that RPM was extremely elevated before upshifting to the next gear. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced due to a failed bearing. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Apr 2025
Aug 2025

Transmission is failing prematurely. Family in car. Car stalls and fails to move in middle of busy intersection. Restart the car and then luckily get out of way to safety. Dealer acknowledged and done a test. The transmission issue is being ignored by Toyota. Toyota of Knoxville is currently attempting to avoid working on fixing this safety issue. No indication other than sudden whining, then grinding, the. Stalling.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Aug 2025
Jul 2025

At 100k miles, car began to make whining noise that changed with accelerating and decelerating. Toyota dealership diagnosed a slipping belt in the transmission and transmission was replaced. Filing NHTSA report due to significant amount of transmission problems the Toyota C-HR has and other owners have experienced.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Jul 2025
Jun 2025

Transmission failed at 87,00 miles

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Jun 2025
May 2025

The transmission no longer works on my husbands relatively new vehicle, only turning five years old not even a full two months ago. He took it to a dealership in Culpeper, VA to get inspected and was told it needs a CVT transmission replacement totalling a large sum of money which is arguably the full value of the car. Not only has my safety and his safety been compromised due to this issue, but also the safety of our families and other fellow drivers on the road. This issue can cause car accidents where not only is my husband and I’s life in jeopardy, but also nearby drivers on the road due to a manufacturing issue with his car specifically. The car has been inspected by one of Toyota’s dealerships where they identified and confirmed the issue but are refusing to cover the cost of it. This car doesn’t even have 60,000 miles on it, is newly five years old and we are already afraid for our safety being inside it and are trying to look to Toyota, or government agencies to acknowledge this issue and order a recall, as many cars like his are having the same exact transmission issue. This has caused us financial stress, as well as emotional distress which shouldn’t be the case to begin with. At this point should something happen to my husband, this is appearing to be a legal matter on the basis of car safety.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: May 2025
Apr 2025

I started hearing a grinding noise coming from the front driver-side wheel well for about a week. Then one day, while backing out of my driveway, the car suddenly lost power. I was stuck on a slight incline and no matter if I put it in reverse or drive, the car wouldn't move—it just wouldn’t respond like it normally does. A few days after that, I was sitting at a red light with my foot on the brake when the car jerked backwards. Right after that, the check engine light came on, and I noticed the car didn’t handle the same. It felt sluggish to respond when I hit the gas. After the red light incident, I had the car towed to a shop. They told me it had a bad bearing and said the transmission needed to be replaced. I’m reporting this because it felt like a serious safety issue—especially with the car losing power and jerking unexpectedly. I’ve seen other people mention similar problems with this transmission, so I think it’s something that should be looked into.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Nov 2025
Jan 2025

CVT TRANSMISSION - IT CAN GO OUT AT ANY TIME - YES - YES - NO, JUST LOUD NOISE

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Jan 2024
Jan 2025

The CVT transmission has a faulty bearing and it will fail within the next 30,000 miles. Toyota refuses to replace my transmission to the newer, better variant.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Oct 2025
Mar 2022

Faulty CVT transmission, known issue, failed before 90,000 miles. CVT Transmision is supposed to not need servicing, i.e. fluid change, therefore, no service to transmision was done prior.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 TOYOTA C-HR, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Feb 2022

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Quick Summary

The 2020 Toyota C-HR has 25 Power Train complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.