Lenovo statement: Thunderbolt firmware responsible for ThinkPad USB C failures

[Redaktion]

We have asked Lenovo some questions about the Thunderbolt controller failures in recent ThinkPads. Their answers confirm the suspicion that a problematic firmware version is the reason for the problems.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-statement-Thunderbolt-firmware-responsible-for-ThinkPad-USB-C-failures.451307.0.html

[Mark C]

I had a Xi Carbon but ended up returning it a couple of years ago due to a fee problems with it. Less problems on my MacBook Pro. I can watch a youtube video without the fans running at redline unlike the X1 Carbon. My iPad Pro and smartphone have no fans in them and yet I can watch videos without them running hot or needing to have fans in them. Lenovo blames Microsoft and Microsoft blames Lenovo. Lenovo blames Intel and Intel Blames Lenovo. Never ending game but with Apple less of these issues happen because there is no one but themselves to blame.

[eeee]

Yes, when Apple has an issue, their strategy is to simply pretend it doesn't exist.

[Lawya1]

I bought a Gen 3 X1 tablet. I also bought the Lenovo Thunderbolt Docking Station with a graphic board.  After two months I started getting blue screens saying " Power Failure." Lenovo replaced the system board three times, the screen one, and the CMOS battery once with no improvement.

If finally asked for the repair to be elevated. About a week later I got a call from Lenovo and after a five or ten minutes conversation reviewing the issues. Lenovo agreed to give me a new machine.

Since then there have not been many problems but today the chargings system suddenly quit and the battery discharges. I had spoken to them Friday so I think they will take care of it.

Remember, problems are not the issue, the solutions are.

[jcornuz]

Thanks for actually reaching out to Lenovo about it. I can answer your question:

Lenovo will do NOTHING to fix the issue if your laptop is out of warranty. I spoke for 30 mins to the mentionned Lenovo Technical Support who said it was my problem that their firmware broke my laptop after the warranty expired.

The other thing is that their webpage is super vague about the problem: there is a critical firmware update: I don't have a Thunberbolt peripheral and I have disabled my TB in bios, so the firmware did not apply (and now the chip is damaged)

Had Lenovo stated that the update prevents a hardware failure in the chip that is responsible for TB, USB-C and power delivery... people would have been all over the places doing the upgrade in AUGUST and not months later, possibly when the chip is damaged, the computer reduced to a brick and out of warranty.

[xpclient]

How come only a few Thunderbolt 3 controllers' firmware is faulty? Why only Lenovo laptops? What about Lenovo's other product ranges like Legion which also have Titan Ridge and Alpine Ridge Thunderbolt 3 controllers - how/why are they not affected?

[Hemis]

Same goes for MSI's G65, 75 and p series. Their thunderbolt quality is so poor, tha5 you cannot attache TB docking station or even a monitor!

[F### you Intel]

From Intel's poor handling of Meltdown/Spectre/L1TF/MDS to the recent iGPU security mitigations that nerfs performance by >50% on Haswell machines and now this... I will be buying AMD products for the forseeable future.

- Pissed off T480 owner

[Scot]

I've been saying this for a year. The first case I came across was April, 2019. Had motherboard replaced. Then 2 weeks later, FW update got pushed via the Lenovo system updater, and bricked it again. The company I work for has over 300 of these where we had to have the motherboard replaced.

[Scott]

After all the negative responses I have been extremely apprehensive about purchasing the x1 carbon,  but after the donation made regarding the viral outbreak in China, I say to hell with all my apprehension. I'd rather stand with an imperfect company that means well than an imperfect one that performs slightly better in some obscure statistics. I'm buying my next laptop from Lenovo, within two months, and screw anyone that says I could do better elsewhere. Integrity matters, and don't fool yourselves into pretending that it doesn't.

[Ramihu]

Carbon Extreme 1st Gen are unusable since summer 2019. We have them all 5 pieces failed at some point and now they were sitting on a table for 2 months doing nothing. That's 15 grands on money for what??!!

[Byron Portilla]

We have seen this at work and I have been able to fix over 50 of these Lenovo's so far without needing a motherboard swap. I used a eeprom flasher with a soic 8 test clip (Aka piggy back clip) and just reflashed the eeprom with the newest flash. Takes less than 5 minutes to do. The eeprom isn't damaged it's just corrupted so the system doesn't know it's there and the software flash can't write to the chip.

Just thought in would share so people with out of warranty systems could have a fix other than an over priced mother board swap.

[Bill C Riemers]

Is there any way to test if the machine has been permanently damaged?

My new computer started having problems in January.  Premium support only support was to tell me to install the updated firmware.  That involved reformatting my hard drive to install windows, as I only had Linux at the time. 

The updated firmware resolved the problem with external monitors.  But then the analogue sound output stopped working.  And more recently, even with the laptop itself turned off the ethernet port was putting out so much noise none of the devices in my network could connect to DHCP to receive an IP address.

The yet latest firmware seems to have allowed me to use the analogue sound output, and the ethernet port again. 

But I'm worried, just flashing any firmware causes it to work awhile.  But the damage is already done.  If Lenovo is just going to have me keep updating firmware, this will get kicked down the road until the laptop and thunderbolt dock are out of warranty, and I'll be suffering every day in the mean time.

What I would like to fine is a test I can run to say, see it is still broken.  Now fix it you bastards.   Or a test that tells me it really has finally been fixed so I don't have to worry about it anymore.

[fff]

Yes, when Apple has an issue, their strategy is to simply pretend it doesn't exist.

Nope, they always repair their machines for free even after many years.

[Ali Shobeiri]

Just to update this post:

I have the same issue and Lenovo completely ignores this! Basically they have caused this failure through automatic updates (Vantage) and now do not pay any heed, unless you have warranty. My computer has no USB-C nor HDMI connection anymore.

I am done with Lenovo dire services and heedlessness: Please do not waste your money on Lenovo Carbon X1 series!