T400s random shutdowns [ Edited ]

[Mark_Lenovo Administrator · Accepted solution]

All,

Update - I'm editing this post to be the official solution, since it is the point in the discussion where we declared this to be a hardware defect that could occur in a percentage of the early vintage T400s systems.  Discussion continued after this post as we updated stocks and cascaded communication about this issue through all service channels. 

For the past several months, with the help and valuable input of everyone on this thread, we have been working to find the underlying common cause of these random power off events experienced by a subset of our T400s customer base.

We have determined that an internal noise issue with the voltage regulation component is the common element.  This is an electrical noise issue which manifests in a fairly small portion of the use base and does not appear to develop over time. 

As discussed at length here, some combinations of BIOS level, system settings, and driver versions can affect the frequency in which these random shut down events can occur, but these factors are not the cause themselves.

Component changes were made during the late November / early December builds and systems manufactured after this period should not be affected.  Updated service parts will be in stock shortly, are now available and if you are experiencing these random shutdown issues, we recommend that you seek service to have the system board replaced.  Uplevel service parts will bear 60Y and 63Y part numbers.

I would also encourage everyone with an existing T400s to update to the new version 1.12 bios regardless of whether or not they have experienced a shutdown issue in the past. 

A sincere thanks to UberSteve and others who have helped to organize the information and keep the discussion on track as many combinations were tried out. 

Best regards,

Mark

[rokudan]

Excellent news Mark.. And thank you!

Is there a specific trouble code or service request number we can specify when calling support so they can know what the issue is, and know which specific part requires replacement?

[wesleyyin]

MANY THANKS. MARK!

[houtsma]

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rokudan wrote:

Excellent news Mark.. And thank you!

Is there a specific trouble code or service request number we can specify when calling support so they can know what the issue is, and know which specific part requires replacement?

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I have the same question? Is there some reference code we can use?

Thanks, Jan

[UberSteve]

This is great news! Thanks for the update Mark!

Unfortunately for me, it's too little too late. My replacement T400s eventually arrived a couple weeks ago, but I sold it almost immediately. My Lenovo Customer Care rep. wasn't able to confirm if the problem had been identified/fixed, and since I was still reading about new cases (on recently built machines), I couldn't take the risk that the replacement machine might also have the problem.

I've since gone back to my trusty T61p, and am awaiting the T410s to come back in stock.

I too would like to thank everyone who contributed to the spreadsheet, it sounds like it helped! I'm going to take it down now, if anyone needs a copy, please PM me.

-Steve

[RO-TPfor]

Steve - Thanks for your help in keeping this issue alive and providing some organization to the data.

Mark - Let me echo the need for a reference number of some sort that will be instantly available to every Lenovo tech support rep and which will specifically state that a motherboard replacement is the correct fix.  Otherwise, endless discussion will be required prior to getting authorization for a motherboard replacement.

[houtsma]

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RO-TPfor wrote:

Steve - Thanks for your help in keeping this issue alive and providing some organization to the data.

Mark - Let me echo the need for a reference number of some sort that will be instantly available to every Lenovo tech support rep and which will specifically state that a motherboard replacement is the correct fix.  Otherwise, endless discussion will be required prior to getting authorization for a motherboard replacement.

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And not just a motherboard replacement. But a specific motherboard replacement identified having the fix for this problem. Otherwise you probably get a refurbished motherboard with similar problems.

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jan

[pleon]

well after month of no problems, an hour ago a had another random shutdown. Even with new BIOS 1.12. What exaclty should we ask for in service to replace. Should we ask for complete motherboard to be replaced or what exactly?

[DerIre]

Hmm, as I wrote earlier in the thread, my motherboard was replaced last week and the technician also updated the bios to version 1.12, and I had a random shutdown the very next day. Also, since then my processor has been whining and my speaker mute button no longer works (when I reinstall the hotkey software, it seems to work for a while, but the next time I restart, the button is without function again).

Does this mean I got an old motherboard? Do I have to get it replaced again? I can't believe that Lenovo didn't communicate to its service staff that this was a known problem and that a solution was on its way. I would definitely have waited with the replacement until the official response was available.

[gyros]

first time the problem was public: 07-25-2009 01:07

AM, when this thread was created.

solved:  01-22-2010 09:37 PM

sorry guys but this isn't the proper way to solve such a problem. not for a brand like "lenovo / thinkpad".

 I know it's not the best for the brand / image of lenovo, but it also shouldn't take a half year to solve the sudden shutdown problem...

Note from Moderator:  A comment which violated the forum rules was removed.