2019 16" MBP - very strange issue - occasionally will not charge

[joeriggs]

Hello,

I have a 2019 16" MBP (5600M) and running into a weird issue where it occasionally will not charge.
This has only happened 3 times since early 2022 when it first occurred, once every 5 months.

90% of the time while at work I'm charging the MPB through a dock (Caldigit Element Hub).
However, I also carry the OEM charger with me just in case.

What happens is at some point with the hub plugged in, I'll notice my mac is not charging.
I'll unplug/replug the data and power cables - nothing
I'll try all 4 Thunderbolt ports - nothing
I'll try the OEM charger in all ports - nothing
From what I recall doing an SMC reset with the battery somewhat charged still didn't help either at that point.
I've tried plugging in the OEM charger turning MPB on/off still won't charge.

I have to let the battery fully drain, plug in the OEM charger for awhile, then do an SMC reset and that seems to get it back to normal.

I have no clue why this happens, granted it's pretty rare but needing to let the battery fully drain and then hope it comes back to life with an SMC reset is a little much for me. I swear each time I feel like my MPB may be dead but thankfully it eventually comes back and starts charging properly again without issue.

I do move my laptop around a lot, I'll take it home at night, bring it back to work in the morning, sometimes leaving it awake, sometimes shutting it down completely and using different chargers depending on my location. I don't know if any of these procedures are triggering the MPB to not charge (as previously mentioned it's happened only once every 5 months or so).

 

[patwithamac]

What version of Macos?
Do you have the Battery Health Management features enabled;
- Optimized Battery Charging
- Manage batter longevity

If you are on latest MacOS Ventura (13.3) you can check if the Battery Health Management features are enabled by opening Settings, go to Battery, then click on the (i) in the Battery Health section. See attached screen-shot.

When Battery Health Management features are enabled, charging can stop short (aka. pause) of full charge.
For example mine is currently plugged into the OEM charger, and the battery charge level is paused at 80%.
This is being done on purpose, to reduce the stresses associated with charging to 100% (in favor of extending the battery overall useful life).

When you notice this happening, what is the battery's current change level?

 

[patwithamac]

BTW, I also have a 2019 16" Macbook Pro (albeit with a 5500M).
I just had to replace my battery due to extreme swelling, that was causing trackpad interference.
You could be experiencing battery malfunction too.

See my recent post here;

 

[joeriggs]

What version of Macos?

Monterey (12.6.3), I don't recall if the first time it happened I was Big Sur or not, in order to rule out the OS being the issue.

I do have Optimize Battery Charging checked.
I don't have Manage batter longevity checked.

Mac OS Battery Condition: Normal

When you notice this happening, what is the battery's current change level?

Last time it was about the 40-50% mark, other two times I don't remember.