Loose USB c port on MacBook Pro 2017

Having Apple "repair or replace at their option" is your only recourse under warranty.

If the work they do is not satisfactory, have them do it again.

Why do you assume I'm ranting? These are valid questions.

Because several posters here haven't even given Apple the chance to "make it right", and are already questioning the integrity of their theoretical repair, before they have even seen it.

I'm having the same deterioration on the ports, they still function, but they have lost that secure "click" that they used to have.

In regard to the hyper drive adapter, they are garbage. I bought one hoping it was exactly what I was missing and I was really disappointed. Constantly loses connection (even on a brand new MBP with good ports). After some testing I've realized that adapters with direct connections don't work as well, adapters with a cable going to a hub help avoid small movements or even the weight of the adapter causing it to disconnect.

I am so glad I found this thread! I bought my 15" MBP in Dec 2016 and have experienced this issue almost since the beginning. I have made numerous trips to the Genius Bar. Uninstall Sophos, reinstall the OS, etc etc. all software related fixes. Then they said it was the cables, but after 5 external different HD's they had no response. I think my power cable is actually OK. It is my HD's that keep ejecting. I have the LG display that was designed for the MBP with TB3 ports in back and I use that also and it seems OK but that doesn't move. It is when I plug in HD's to the MBP that they eject spontaneously. I have had drives with the dongle and drives with the straight TB3. The Genius's googled this issue and never came up this thread and neither did I until now. Finally the last genius did suggest it was time to send it off for Apple repair so that is where I am now and I am armed with this thread. I bought 5 different external hard drives thinking that was the problem. I put the MBP on a laptop board and rubber banded the external drive to the board so both would move as one and still had issues. Then I velcroed the external hard drives to the lid to minimize movement and when that didn't work closely looked at the LaCie which was ever so slightly not flush against the MBP and causes the drive to eject. These cables are stiff and always under some tension even with these crazy accommodations I have made to immobilize them! Not having these port lock is inexcusable! It's a laptop and is meant to be mobile! This port design is not mobile! This is my first Mac and let me tell you it has been an awful experience, but I am stubborn! So thanks to all for posting.

In my case it has nothing to do with 3rd party cables. I used only the Apple cable. After 6 months all of my ports were loose to varying degrees. They replaced them all at around 8-9 months. Now 2-3 months later some of them are getting loose again already. I know it is not because it is impossible to build a decent port, because the port on the power break is fine and has had a year or so of regularly daily use. Big design fail here.

Thank you for that comment. I have told by people that I just got a defective port and if I get them fixed, the issue won't come back. If indeed the replacements are just as bad, I would expect a full recall for this. No one pays this much for a laptop that can only be used for a year after the support expires. I have only used the official Apple cable and 2 official USB-C adapters bought from the Apple store.

I think the problem here is that the laptop is so thin and the USB-C adapter housing sticks out so far it is very easy to put sideways pressure on the port if the laptop isn't on a completely flat surface. In other words, your laptop must be used on a desk, not on your lap.

Actually, the most ironic part is the that the part that needs to be changed is only a $15-$20 part. It's exactly easy to replace without replacing half the computer.

File a complaint and encourage everyone else to do the same as well as post here. I did.

They dragged their feet on the retina "stain damage" issue for a long time but eventually caved in.

If I can advise you, go to the Apple store, and try to make them change, also indicating that the problem is discussed on this community.

Otherwise you will have to replace them on your own, and as they have already written, the ports cost only about 15 euros.

August 2018 update after 2 logic board replacements on a late 2016 MBP touch bar 15" with 4 USBC ports...I got my MBP back several weeks ago and quite frankly have been so frustrated, busy, anxious I have taken my time to mess with it! But I finally did today. When it came back from the second logic board replacement it had black tape around the ports as a previous poster mentioned - the first visit it did not. The last failure my La Cie HD was not recognized and I got many disconnect errors - too many to count 'disk eject improperly" error messages that would pile up with no activity i.e. I was asleep or at work. Took MBP and LaCie to store and got a persistent tech who cared to troubleshoot and he took the LaCie drive to another MBP in the store to confirm it was not the drive. 9/10 times the store blames everything but the MBP especially a spinning drive! So off it went to TX for the second time. Just be persistent with the Genius and make them really do their homework and troubleshoot. I think the word is starting to get out that this is a huge problem even in a town with multiple Apple stores like Seattle it took a while. So all seems OK with the MBP so far but again first day messing with it really first day plugging in LaCie (had WD passport backup drive plugged in for several weeks and no eject improperly errors) and I am trying to catch up on a huge backlog of photo transfers. I have not moved it around and used on my lap (imagine that I am scared to use a laptop on my lap! because of these blasted ports!). So I thought I would update the board in any case. Note that it worked fine for a month or two after my first repair also. Thank goodness I have Apple care into 2019! If not it'd be on me and I would be on a PC by now! Ludicrous! Three strikes before they will replace the MBP which really means 4 failures. I got one strike/repair left and am afraid it's gonna crap out right for the fourth time after the Apple Care expires! I will be happy if it is fixed this time believe me but I am not a fan at all of the MBP or Apple. I have iPad, iPhone, AppleTV so I bought into this brand, but this experience is pushing me away big time.

Although your tale is a sad one, Readers here are powerless to help you. We are all Users like you.

You need to take your gear to an Appointment at the genius bar of an Apple-owned store (free) or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (evaluation fee may apply) and have them decide what is wrong.

I think I had a similar experience but if you follow my history here I have had major bad port issues so hard to tell if my external drive fry was related to that. Apple store should be able to take your drive and put into another MBP and run some tests to see if drive or MBP. They will always first blame the drive has been my experience but at the store make them troubleshoot as much as possible rather than have you do it at home. If you get a good tech they will run through several things. Make them keep going. My advice. You have to know enough of the right questions to ask them to make them pursue. Hopefully you got AppleCare. It is worth its weight in gold!

I am having the same issue. It is actually becoming a big productivity problem. Several times my cinema display cable becomes disconnected. Also, my lacie external drive disconnects when the cable moves and slides a bit out of the port. So I am worried about damaging my external drive, which is critical to stay connected as it is my entire prof photography work drive. Research online suggests that some of these laptops were manufactured with parts that wear out over time, allowing cables to easily become disconnected. I have a love hate relationship with these apple usb-c ports!

Don’t waste your time and be prepared to ship it off to TX right then and there. Insist on it.

All my ports on my $5000 2017 MacBook Pro are also very loose. All the connectors just lightly sit inside the port. I get constant disconnects from my external drives, which often ruins the video project I am editing. Apple's USB-C port/connector stinks. They didn't do a good job designing it for lasting firmness. The old Thunderbolt 2 connector was so much better. I'm really not happy with my super expensive MacBook "Pro".

Same problem here. I can’t believe Apple didn’t make these ports without any sort of locking mechanism. I suspect that since they tossed the magsafe port, they attempted to make a port that fits loosely enough that should you trip on the cord, the cord will come out easily. This design decision is a disaster since the port is also used by harddrives. The USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 port on the New Macbook Pro is horrible. My hard drives disconnect if I breathe on the cable too hard. I often look up to see my battery is at 5% because the power cord has wiggled loose about 1mm and the machine is no longer charging.

I miss my old 17” Macbook Pro so much. That laptop lasted 7 years!! I wish I had never bought this new machine. I spent almost $5k on this piece of crap. The butterfly keyboard mechanism started squeaking after only 4 months. The cables never stay in it. My finger is constantly brushing the TouchBar’s oddly positioned ESCAPE key resulting in lost work. I’ve had this laptop for 8 months now and simply put... I HATE THIS MACHINE.

If they don't fix mine, I'm selling this laptop. I work on the road all the time. I'm tired of looking up and seeing 5% battery life and then realizing the power adapter has wiggled slightly loose and the laptop hasn't been charging at all. I'm tired of have huge drives disconnect while editing large video projects and losing my work. I'm tired of having my phone syncing interrupted halfway through the process because the cable inched itself out of the port. I could go on and on and on about the keyboard and the stupid touch bar, but I'd rather this thread stay on topic. If enough people lodge their complaints about the USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports here, Apple will take notice.

I didn't realize how bad my problem was until about 6 months of ownership. Then it gradually started to annoy me enough that I felt like something was seriously wrong with the design of this machine. At 8 months of ownership, I found this thread.

There are only 4 ports on this machine and they are all identical. Apple removed all the other ports. All they had to do was make 1 port that works, and replicate that 3 times. I have 1 USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 port that is extremely loose, 2 that are loose, and 2 that seem okay and slightly lock in place. There is some sort of hardware within the internal design of these ports that is giving out, otherwise all of my ports would have the same fit. They don't at all.

Hopefully they have already identified the design/manufacturing flaw and a replacement port on the machine will fix everything. If they haven't identified this flaw and addressed it, then replacing the ports will only buy you a little time until they just become loose again. You'll probably know within 6 months how well they are faring.