Since 2018, most ThinkPads bank on USB C as the sole charging connector. For users, USB C has many advantages over proprietary connectors. Right now though, Lenovo has some problems with the USB C connectors in the ThinkPads, as they sometimes fail due to faulty Thunderbolt Controllers.

Reviews , News , CPU , GPU , Articles , Columns , Other "or" search relation. 5G , Accessory , AMD , Android , Apple , ARM , Audio , Bay Trail , Business , Cannon Lake , Charts , Chinese Tech , Chromebook , Coffee Lake , Comet Lake , Console , Convertible / 2-in-1 , Cryptocurrency , Cyberlaw , Deal , Desktop , Fail , Foldable , Gadget , Galaxy Note , Galaxy S , Gamecheck , Gaming , Geforce , Google Nexus / Pixel , How To , Ice Lake , Internet of Things (IoT) , iOS , iPad Pro , iPhone , Kaby Lake , Lakefield , Laptop , Launch , Linux / Unix , MacBook , Mini PC , Monitor , MSI , OnePlus , Opinion , Phablet , Project Athena , Renoir , Review Snippet , Rocket Lake , Rumor , Ryzen (Zen) , Security , Smart Home , Smartphone , Smartwatch , Software , Storage , Tablet , ThinkPad , Thunderbolt , Tiger Lake , Touchscreen , Ultrabook , Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) , Wearable , Whiskey Lake , Windows , Workstation , XPS , Zen 3 (Vermeer) Ticker

USB C is a great standard. It is the first truly universal USB port, promising a bright future where one port really can do anything & render dongles obsolete. One of the best features of the small port: USB Power Delivery (PD). Laptops can charge with up to 100 W over USB C thanks to PD. Proprietary charging ports become unnecessary and both phones and laptops can be charged with one charger. Also, USB C enables the use of universal power banks. All in all, the universal standard has many advantages.

Lenovo puts USB C into all ThinkPad laptops since 2017. Since 2018, the standard has replaced the proprietary Slim tip charger in almost all models. A step forward, considering the advantages of the universal standard. But now, there is a problem: 2017, 2018 and 2019 ThinkPads struggle with defective USB C ports.

A description of the problem can be found over at Lenovo's support site: The issue may happen after 6 to 12 months and it may have several impact levels. Sometimes, the USB C port may fail completely, sometimes the HDMI video-output may be unavailable. Also, the Thunderbolt Controller might produce error messages. The system might not charge anymore through USB C as well.

Lenovo remains quiet about the reason for the failures, but the list of affected ThinkPad laptops leaves only one logical explanation: Only ThinkPads with Thunderbolt Controllers are affected, so the Intel Thunderbolt Controllers seem to the cause of these issues.

Only more expensive models like the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, ThinkPad T480 or ThinkPad X390 are affected. More affordable L/E ThinkPads are free of issues, as are ThinkPads with AMD processors.

T470

T470s

T480

T480s

T490 / P43s

T490s

T570 / P51s

T580 / P52s

T590 / P53s

X1 Carbon 2017 / 5th Gen

X1 Carbon 2018 / 6th Gen

X1 Carbon 2019/ 7th Gen

X1 Yoga 2017 / 2nd Gen

X1 Yoga 2018 / 3rd Gen

X1 Yoga 2019/ 4th Gen

X1 Tablet 2018/ 3rd Gen

X280

Yoga 370

X380 Yoga

X390

X390 Yoga

P51

P52

P71

P72

Luckily, Lenovo has already released driver and firmware updates for all affected ThinkPads. Users of these models should install these updates as fast as possible. If there are issues regardless, Lenovo's support should be contacted. The only solution in this case seems to be a motherboard exchange.

Update: We have followed up on this topic with two more articles:

ThinkPad Thunderbolt 3 failure: What's happening, why it's happening, and how to fix it

Lenovo statement: Thunderbolt firmware responsible for ThinkPad USB C failures