The APA has recorded an unusual number of complaints relating to failures of the CVT transmission on the C-HR compact crossover vehicle, which was sold from 2017-2022. The Automobile Protection Association has asked Toyota Canada to extend its powertrain warranty to cover failures of the continuously variable transmission (CVT) on the model.
Consumers reporting transmission failures after the manufacturer’s warranty expired received estimates ranging from $10,000 to $14,000 for replacement of the entire transmission at a Toyota dealership. That’s a heavy burden, equivalent to about half the market value of the concerned vehicles. In some cases, Toyota Canada or a dealer have picked up part of the cost of the repair.
APA transmission expert, Alain Groulx, has identified a defective bearing as the source of the failures. If the problem is caught early, before bearing material has damaged other components inside the transmission, Alain has identified transmission repair shops in Quebec City and Montreal that are able to repair the transmission for about $5,000. That’s a substantial savings compared to replacing the entire transmission at a Toyota dealership.
Mileages reported to the APA at the time a transmission exhibits symptoms of an impending failure range from 88,000 km to 178,000 km. Other major internal components of the transmission may be in usable condition if the problem is identified quickly.
A major vehicle component like a transmission should be designed to last the life of the vehicle. Given that an average vehicle is retired after 15 years (about 20 percent make it past 20 years) and almost 300,000 km, the failures reported to the APA are premature, and certainly below the high expectations Toyota owners have for their vehicles.
The APA is a strong supporter of Toyota’s excellent product line. At this time, the APA has not identified other Toyota models with CVT transmissions (most notably the Corolla) that are presenting the same failures. We are hoping that Toyota will act quickly to stand behind its product.
If you are the owner of a Toyota C-HR that has developed a transmission defect, or if you already had a defective CVT transmission in a Toyota C-HR replaced, please complete our form.