Transmission failure/replacement 2018 C-HR XLE

DrZeus said:

FYI, the transmission in my 2018 C-HR XLE has failed and was replaced (under warranty) in February 2020 with just over 36,000 miles. First indication that something was wrong was hearing a whining noise coming from the front end. If anyone else is or has experienced this problem, please let me know. I'm getting some feedback that this might be a known flaw in this vehicle... Not happy.

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Ours did same at 32k Toyota keep saying nothing wrong now at 62k say it’s a bad bearing and won’t fix even though told them about it

Decantico said:

Hi all, I just found out today I also need a whole new transmission in my 2018 chr. It is at 63,000 miles and Toyota so far has refused to cover it due to it being just outside the warranty. After reading this thread I will be pursuing a civil lawsuit as clearly this is a known issue they have not taken responsibility for. Please let me know if you are interested in pursuing this with me. Thank you.

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I purchased my second 2018 CHR back in November after the first one was totalled by a drunk driver. I had a great experience with the first one, which is why I wanted the same thing. I noticed right away though that there was a whining kind of noise, and my car is around 75k. After a huge headache with the used dealership I bought it, their Toyota service department claimed it was just a bearing noise and it was fine, but this was after I had initially been told they were replacing the transmission. Service advisor told me there was a Toyota service bulletin about the noise but was not able to give me a copy. Car is still making the noise but having no other issues so 🤷‍♀️

Transmission est. on my Toyota chr 2018 with 110k miles is almost $10k. It has whining sound when start to drive the vehicle. Two problems with Toyota approach with this vehicle. Seal parts which sold as one unit and cannot be repaired by anyone. Second is parts are price so high it does not make the vehicle practical to repair. Old tactic with cheap products but this is not cheap car.. Forces consumers to buy replacement car. Love Toyota but the vehicle part needs to be repairable & practical price. Also my wiring harness chewed Up by rats but instead of repairing it Toyota compete assembly was replace $8200.

Strange - there are videos of the K114 being taken apart. Must be the re-assembly that is a PITA.

zx10guy said:

Not to scare you. But based on the Toyota Parts website, the MSRP of the trans is $6500 and the torque converter is $970. I doubt you'll be paying full MSRP and there probably will be a factory refurb option. But it's going to beat up your wallet. Add to that around $100 to $130 an hour for labor. I'm taking a stab but I'm guessing about 6 hours of book time to do the job.

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I just got a quote from Toyota .. 22 hours of Labor .. Parts and Labor $11k plus change

Toyota for life said:

Transmission est. on my Toyota chr 2018 with 110k miles is almost $10k. It has whining sound when start to drive the vehicle. Two problems with Toyota approach with this vehicle. Seal parts which sold as one unit and cannot be repaired by anyone. Second is parts are price so high it does not make the vehicle practical to repair. Old tactic with cheap products but this is not cheap car.. Forces consumers to buy replacement car. Love Toyota but the vehicle part needs to be repairable & practical price. Also my wiring harness chewed Up by rats but instead of repairing it Toyota compete assembly was replace $8200.

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It's not just Toyota. All CVTs I've seen are non serviceable units. Even reputable/experienced transmission shops will not attempt a repair or rebuild. This also applies to other transmissions out there. The DCT transmission in my BMW is also non serviceable except for only a few external components such as the mechatronics unit.

RoLleRKoaSTeR said:

Strange - there are videos of the K114 being taken apart. Must be the re-assembly that is a PITA.

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I've seen plenty of CVT tear down videos. But many of them have situations where the tear down of a section of the transmission causes permanent damage to the components. I don't know what goes into manufacturing these transmissions but it appears the assembly of them requires specialized tooling which a transmission shop won't be able to have access to.

gettedog said:

I just got a quote from Toyota .. 22 hours of Labor .. Parts and Labor $11k plus change

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22 hours of labor? That's just totally asinine. From being under the car quite a few times and being involved with a friend who had owned his own repair shop, I can tell you it doesn't take 22 hours to do a trans R&R. Here are the generic steps in doing a trans R&R. Support engine with an in bay engine hanger. Drain trans fluid. Drop subframe. Remove axles. Disconnect electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic lines to trans. Drop trans. Reverse previous steps. Do a front end wheel alignment. That's it.

Decantico said:

See my post above, but yes I am going to be contacting some lawyers concerning this.

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Please include me in your pursuit! I am trying to deal with Toyota customer service to convince them it is in their best interest to resolve the transmission problems instead of seeing its customers in court, but am getting nowhere! Ann