A recent Lenovo support page documentation reveals that a bunch of ThinkPad models has been identified as having problems with the Type-C connector on the device. The said faulty ports may result in the connector malfunction after six to 12 months of typical use. Issues that may arise include the Type-C port not working, HDMI output cutting out, error messages displayed for Thunderbolt ports, and more.
However, Lenovo has acknowledged the issues, listed affected devices, and provided requisite software/firmware download links to help solve the issues. This suggests that the fault is unlikely to be serious hardware issues.
The list of issues that affected systems may encounter include:
- USB-C port not working
- Intel Thunderbolt controller not visible in the OS/Device Manager
- USB-C or Thunderbolt docking stations not visible or having connectivity problems
- HDMI output not available
- System battery not charging with a USB-C power adapter connected to the USB-C port
- Intel Thunderbolt pop-up error message
- Intel Thunderbolt safe mode error message
- BIOS Thunderbolt communication error or hang during POST
Here is the list of the models that are affected by this issue:
- P43s (Type 20RH, 20RJ)
- P52 (Type 20M9, 20MA)
- P52s (Type 20LB, 20LC)
- P53s (Type 20N6, 20N7)
- P71 (type 20HK, 20HL)
- T470 (Type 20HD, 20HE)
- T470 (Type 20JM, 20JN)
- T470s (type 20HF, 20HG)
- T470s (type 20JS, 20JT)
- T480 (Type 20L5, 20L6)
- T480s (type 20L7, 20L8)
- T490 (Type 20N2, 20N3)
- T490 (Type 20RY, 20RX)
- T490 (Type 20Q9, 20QH)
- T490s (Type 20NX, 20NY)
- T570 (Type 20H9,20HA)
- T570 (Type 20JW, 20JX)
- T580 (Type 20L9, 20LA)
- T590 (Type 20N4, 20N5)
- X1 Carbon 5th Gen - (Type 20HR, 20HQ)
- X1 Carbon 6th Gen - (Type 20KH, 20KG)
- X1 Carbon 7th Gen - (Type 20QD, 20QE)
- X1 Carbon 7th Gen - (Type 20R1, 20R2)
- X1 Yoga 2nd Gen (Type 20JD, 20JE, 20JF, 20JG)
- X1 Yoga 3rd Gen (Type 20LD, 20LE, 20LF, 20LG)
- X1 Yoga 4th Gen (Type 20QF, 20QG)
- X1 Yoga 4th Gen (Type 20SA, 20SB)
- X1 Tablet 3rd Gen (Type 20KJ, 20KK)
- X280 (Type 20KF, 20KE)
- Yoga 370 (Type 20JJ, 20JH)
- X380 Yoga (Type 20NN, 20QN)
- X390 (Type 20Q0, 20Q1)
- X390 Yoga (Type 20LH, 20LJ)
- P51 (Type 20MM, 20MN)
- P51 (Type 20HH, 20HJ)
- P51s (Type 20HB, 20HC)
- P51s (Type 20JY, 20K0)
- P72 (Type 20MB, 20MC)
In case you own one of these ThinkPad laptops purchased in the last few years sporting a Type-C port, you can head to the support page here to download and install the appropriate driver/firmware package for your device. Lenovo recommends that users install the driver package first, followed by the firmware package, where applicable.
Additionally, the firm adds that those that are still facing issues with the connector post the updates are should reach out to Lenovo Technical Support for further assistance. The support page also lists down the steps to follow to check their software and firmware versions.
Source: Lenovo Support Via Tom’s Guide, WindowsCentral