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2018 Toyota C-HR

Gas

Compact Cars
1 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-10-26

Safety Signal

92 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

RecallsNHTSA campaigns 1

Complaints9 crash · 7 injured reported 327

Crash ratingNHTSA overall 5★

Fuel economybest combined, EPA 29 mpg

2027 2026 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018

The 2018 Toyota C-HR is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV. The most efficient version, the C-HR, is EPA-rated at 29 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of A. Owners have filed 327 complaints, most often about the power train. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Toyota C-HR — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Toyota C-HR · Photo: Alexander-93 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
C-HR	Gas	FWD	2.0L 4-cyl	27	31	29	$2,300

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 38679.

Emissions & certification

Source: EPA emission certificates

Configuration	Smog rating	Emission standard	Where it can be sold new	SmartWay
C-HR	3 / 10	Federal Tier 3 Bin 125 / California LEV-III ULEV125	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	—

Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.

The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.

Specifications filed with NHTSA

Source: NHTSA vPIC

Dimensions Exterior

Body style	Crossover Utility Vehicle [CUV]
Doors	5
GVWR class	Class 1: 6,000 lb or less (2,722 kg or less)

Engine Basics

Cylinders	4
Displacement	2 L
Engine configuration	In-Line

Engine Output

Horsepower

145 hp

Fuel Economy

Fuel	Gasoline

Seating

Seat rows	2
Seating capacity	5 seats

Transmission

Drivetrain	4x2
Transmission	Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)

Driver assistance

Standard: Adaptive cruise control, Anti-lock brakes, Automatic emergency braking, Backup camera, Electronic stability control, Forward collision warning, Lane departure warning, Lane keeping assist, Pedestrian automatic emergency braking

Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes one configuration rather than every trim (seen: XLE/XLE Premium). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.

Dimensions & weight

Source: Transport Canada

Length	174.4 in
Width (body, without mirrors)	70.9 in
Height	61.8 in
Wheelbase	103.9 in
Track, front	61.0 in
Track, rear	61.8 in
Curb weight	3,300 lb
Weight distribution, front/rear	61/39

Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here one configuration: 4-door SUV. Where a range is shown, those versions differ. Width is the body without mirrors, which is why it can read narrower than a brochure figure. Before we used it we checked it against the US manufacturer press kits we hold (27 Sep 2026): wheelbase agreed within 1% on every vehicle we could compare, length on 98%, and the curb weight fell inside the manufacturer's range on 96%. Source dataset. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Licence.

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Recalls (1)

Source: NHTSA recall database

▲high

Parking Brake

H0W

28,764 vehicles 92% reported repaired built Feb 2, 2017 – Oct 17, 2017

Problem 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." Risk 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." Fix 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.

Filed with NHTSAOwner letter PDF Remedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 17V717000 reported Nov 15, 2017 Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.

Whether any of this applies to one specific C-HR

A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2018 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. Toyota publishes its own lookup because federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 requires it to, and to keep it current to within seven days.

NHTSA VIN check →Toyota’s own VIN lookup →

Hear about a recall before the letter does

The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2018 Toyota C-HR, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

327complaints filed

9 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 7 injuries · 0 deaths reported

50 per 10,000 built · Toyota reported 65,298 C-HR built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)

Filed per year: 2017: 2 · 2018: 12 · 2019: 6 · 2020: 13 · 2021: 18 · 2022: 30 · 2023: 28 · 2024: 26 · 2025: 82 · 2026: 110

Most-cited components

Power Train → 216

Unspecified 45

Engine 39

Electrical System 29

Forward Collision Avoidance 24

Service Brakes 21

In depth: transmission and drivetrain problems →

In owners' own words

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.

I park my 2018 C-Hr in the street on south side of my driveway on parking with the car on I close the door and walk to my Toyota land cruiser I have park about 50 feet away on north side of my driveway went something hit me and was the C-Hr goin in reverse by itselft hit me with the rear end was no time and I get cut with the rear tire…

Power Train Sep 9, 2020 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11354009

Slow parasitic drain on the new battery. At first signs show when starting the vehicle the display dash resets back to the default screen and then eventually you have to jump start the vehicle every time for use

Electrical System at 28,000 miles Sep 6, 2020 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11353396

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota C-Hr. The contact stated the vehicle was serviced under NHTSA campaign number: 17v717000 (parking brake) three times, however the failure recurred. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in a stand still in park, the vehicle reversed on it's own causing the vehicle to hit the contact.

Parking Brake at 28,280 miles Aug 31, 2020 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11352334

Front camera has gone out several times since purchasing august 2019. I've been told by the dealership it is "sensitive" to the heat. The ebs has failed twice since march 2020.. Both issues happened while in motion.

Structure at 25,000 miles Jul 1, 2020 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11331929

Electronic parking brake malfunction. Electrical issue does not allow parking brake to be applied

Service Brakes at 42,000 miles Jun 15, 2020 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11329019

The contact owned a 2018 Toyota C-Hr. While driving 40 MPH, another vehicle did not yield the right of way to the contact. As a result, both vehicles crashed into each other; the front of the contact vehicle was damaged. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained a fractured shoulder, left wrist, and injuries to the left ankle.

Air Bags at 19,000 miles Nov 27, 2019 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11282665

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Reported by Toyota itself: 63 death-or-injury claims on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 3 killed, 67 injured, as claimed, not verified — about 96 per 100,000 built. Every C-HR model year, by year and system → Dated and by system, they are exhibit F of the defect dossier.

When owners reported it

Reported at 50k

miles, typically

Half the 57 owner reports with an odometer reading on file fall between 19,000 and 83,000 miles. That is when problems get reported, which is not the same as when they start — and not a failure rate, because nobody knows how many of these cars never had a problem at all.

under 10k 8

10k–20k 7

20k–30k 7

30k–40k 2

40k–50k 3

50k–60k 4

60k–70k 3

70k–80k 5

80k–90k 7

90k–100k 6

100k–150k 4

150k + 1

Median mileage by component

Component	Reports	Median miles	Vs same age
Power Train	27	80,000	2.31×
Electrical System	14	23,000	1.02×

Vs same age is this model year’s median for the system divided by the median of every 2018-model-year complaint about the same system, all makes: under 1× means owners of this car reported it at lower mileage. Here, owners reported later: power train (2.31×). Which systems go early across the whole fleet: the component study.

Odometer readings as filed by owners with NHTSA. Readings under 100 or over 400,000 miles are dropped as data entry rather than history, and a component needs at least 12 readings before a median is shown for it.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

Configuration	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover	Rollover risk
5 HB FWD	★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆	14%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking.

Service bulletins & campaigns

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Extended coverage on file 1 filing by the manufacturer with NHTSA naming this model year

Term not in NHTSA’s summary · Toyota warranty extension 26TE06Although the Continuously Variable Transmissions (CVT) is covered by Toyota’s New Vehicle Limited Warranty for 5 years or 60,000 miles (whichever comes first), we at Toyota care about the customers’…

The term and the vehicles it covers are the manufacturer’s, as NHTSA’s summary of each filing states them; a dealer checks one particular car by its VIN. Every Toyota warranty extension (10) → · Every warranty extension on file, all makes →

Communicationsfiled with NHTSA 160

Most recentmanufacturer date 2026-09-22

Kindsas classified by NHTSA 154 service bulletins, 4 warranty extensions, 2 service campaigns

Most often about: Equipment, Structure, Electrical System, Engine, Power Train.

26TE06 Warranty extension
2026-09-22 · Power Train
Although the Continuously Variable Transmissions (CVT) is covered by Toyota’s New Vehicle Limited Warranty for 5 years or 60,000 miles (whichever comes first), we at Toyota care about the customers’ ownership experience. Toyota is providing coverage for repairs related to an abnormal whine noise in the CVT.
T-SB-0048-26 Rev1 Service bulletin
2026-09-04 · Power Train
Some 2018 – 2019 model year C-HR vehicles may exhibit a grinding and/or whining noise from the transaxle while accelerating from 15 – 30 mph and/or decelerating from 30 – 15 mph. An updated transaxle is available when the specified noise and serial number requirements are met.
T-SB-0048-26 Service bulletin
2026-08-13 · Power Train
Some 2018 – 2019 model year C-HR vehicles may exhibit a grinding and/or whining noise from the transaxle while accelerating from 15 – 30 mph and/or decelerating from 30 – 15 mph. An updated transaxle is available when the specified noise and serial number requirements are met.
T-SB-0055-24 Rev2 Service bulletin
2026-01-07 · Unknown Or Other
Some 2005 – 2026 Toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. The purpose of this Service Bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures for odor remediation. This Service Bulletin provides a guide on how to prepare and treat the interi
T-SB-0075-19 Service bulletin
2025-07-09 · Electrical System
All VINs under ZKH are expired as of July 6, 2025 Some 2018 – 2019 model year C-HR vehicles may exhibit a condition where the door mirror foot light projects a distorted image of the C-HR logo onto the ground.
ZKH Service campaign
2025-07-09 · Electrical System
All VINs under ZKH are expired as of July 6, 2025 Toyota has received reports stating that the door mirror foot lights (puddle lights) may project a distorted image of the C-HR logo onto the ground. This distortion may be due to the projector film in the door mirror foot light becoming damaged due to heat and moisture. Although the door mirror foot light is covered by Toyota’s New Vehicle Limited
T-SB-0039-24 Rev2 Service bulletin
2024-12-06 · Structure — Body
The condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. If these contaminants settle and remain on a painted vehicle surface, especially the horizonal areas of the hood, roof, and decklid, significant damage can occur. This damage is the result of actual etching of the paint
T-SB-0035-24 Rev2 Service bulletin
2024-12-06 · Structure — Body
Acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. If these acidic compounds settle on an exposed vehicle, especially the horizontal areas such as the hood, roof, and decklid, significant damage to the painted surfaces can occur. Acid rain damage can typically be identified on vehicles by the presence of stains on

A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.

Diagnostic trouble codes on file

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints

Codes documented against this model year in the federal record. A code appearing here does not mean this vehicle will set it — it means the code is part of this nameplate-year's documented history.

Code	What it means	Most often filed under	Where it appears
P2646	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Engine	1 bulletin
P265B	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Engine	1 bulletin

Generic codes (the second character is 0 or 2) mean the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States. Manufacturer-specific codes (1 or 3) mean whatever the automaker assigned, and no honest source can define them for you — which is why the ones here carry the evidence instead of a definition. A code is a link when enough separate federal documents name it across the catalogue to be worth a page of its own; the rest are listed here, where the vehicle is the context that makes them mean something.

At the New York inspection station

Source: New York State DMV

New York inspections 0.99%

failed emissions

1,624 initial inspections of 1,594 vehicles.

Measure	The 2018 C-HR	Every 2018 vehicle	Behind it
Failed the emissions check	0.99%	3.0%	1,620
Failed the safety inspection	2.1%	1.9%	1,624
Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit	0.31%	0.22%	1,624
Miles driven a year	9,360	10,002	odometer at inspection
Average odometer	77,674	82,833	odometer at inspection

New York’s emissions test on these model years is an on-board diagnostics check: it fails a car whose check-engine light is on or whose self-tests have not finished. First inspections only, so a car that failed and came back is counted once; private and special plates, not taxis, livery or commercial plates. A rate appears only where at least 200 inspections stand behind it. “Every 2018 vehicle” is every 2018 model-year car, SUV and pickup inspected in the same window, all makes. This is the state’s record of test results, not a reliability score by itself. Source: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Inspections (data.ny.gov, Open NY terms).

C-HR by model year

all years, side by side →

Year Safety Recalls Complaints

2027 A 0 0 287 mi 2026 A 1 8 287 mi 2022 A 0 3 29 mpg 2021 A 1 36 29 mpg 2020 A 1 65 29 mpg 2019 B 3 114 29 mpg 2018 this page A 1 327 29 mpg

Common questions about the 2018 C-HR

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Does the 2018 Toyota C-HR have any recalls?

NHTSA has posted 1 recall campaign for the 2018 Toyota C-HR. The most serious on file is 17V717000, covering Parking Brake. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.

How safe is the 2018 Toyota C-HR?

NHTSA gave the 2018 Toyota C-HR 5 stars overall in its New Car Assessment Program tests — 4-star frontal crash, 5-star side crash, 4-star rollover. WhichTrim also grades it A (92/100) on its recall record, which is a different question from crash protection.

What is the fuel economy of the 2018 Toyota C-HR?

For the 2018 Toyota C-HR, the best EPA combined figure is 29 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.

What are the dimensions of the 2018 Toyota C-HR?

Transport Canada measured it at 174.4 in long, 70.9 in wide (body, without mirrors), 61.8 in tall, on a 103.9 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 3,300 lb. Those are its measurements of the North American versions; every figure is in the table above.

What do owners complain about on the 2018 Toyota C-HR?

Owners have filed 327 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Toyota C-HR, most often about power train, unspecified, engine. Of those, 9 involved a crash, 7 reported injuries. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.

How clean is the 2018 Toyota C-HR?

The EPA smog rating for the 2018 Toyota C-HR is 3 out of 10. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — California LEV-III ULEV125, Federal Tier 3 Bin 125 — which the table above lists per configuration.

Are there service bulletins for the 2018 Toyota C-HR?

The manufacturer has filed 160 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2018 Toyota C-HR, most often covering equipment, structure, electrical system. The most recent is dated 2026-09-22. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.

How does the 2018 Toyota C-HR do at state inspection?

In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2018 Toyota C-HR failed the emissions check on 0.99% of first inspections — lower than the 3.0% for every 2018 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 2.1% (every 2018 vehicle: 1.9%). The figures are New York State DMV’s own inspection records, first inspections only, and the table above sets each one against every vehicle of the same model year.

What we hold, and what an empty row means

Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.

Data	Held	Source	What it covers — or what empty means
Fuel economy & configurations	1 configurations	EPA certification records	Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates	1 configurations	EPA emission certificates	Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new.
Recalls	1	NHTSA recall campaigns	A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags.
Owner complaints	327	NHTSA complaint database	Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold.
Crash ratings	1 tested	NHTSA NCAP	Only the configurations NHTSA chose to crash-test, which is never all of them.
Service bulletins	160	NHTSA manufacturer communications	Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall.
Investigations	none	NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation	No defect investigation has been opened.
Driver-assist crash reports	none	NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01	No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like.
Specifications filed with NHTSA	12 fields	NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns	What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder.
Measured dimensions	7 fields	Transport Canada, Canadian Vehicle Specifications	Length, width, height, wheelbase, track and curb weight, measured on the North American versions.
Trims, pricing & equipment	none	Manufacturer press kit	We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind.

Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.

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