Question Help: My Lenovo Laptop's keys sometimes stop working

[PrimeAmbition]

I have a Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6, and as stated above, I have been having an issue over the past month with two keys that has grown to be more and more of a problem.
My D and Q keys randomly stop working on my laptop, sometimes for extended periods of time. I've literally had to copy lower- and upper-case D and Q in my notes and Ctrl+v them every time I need to use the letters. This is evident in games, browsers, etc.
I have taken the keys out and apart individually and cleaned inside several times, even when no foreign materials were clearly present. I have also tried using a few of those keyboard testing services that some websites suggest, and the keys never register on them. They click normally, like every other key. There is no physical indication that something is wrong with them aside from the fact the letter doesn't type when you click the key.
I am really out of ideas. I don't know what to do. I am in desperate need of help. If I need to replace something, I don't know how to begin doing that, who to go to, or how much it'd cost.
Thank you in advance to anyone who can offer help or advice. I really don't want to buy (and cannot afford) a new laptop of this one's caliber, and I hope there is something that can be done.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

My D and Q keys randomly stop working

have these keys only been tested with this single OS running?

try testing them within the BIOS.

 

[PrimeAmbition]

have these keys only been tested with this single OS running?

try testing them within the BIOS.

How might I go about that?

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

How might I go about that?

entering the BIOS and finding an area where you may be able to type alphanumeric entries.

 

[BrickStation]

It sounds like you have keyboard failure in your laptop, similar thing happened to my Thinkpad T410 but it was used prior to me owning it. The comma button wouldn't work or just stick until pushed (beaten) again.

While the T410 keyboard is simple to replace, your 15ach6 looks like it has a non-replaceable keyboard. The couple teardown videos I referenced had general IdeaPad Gaming 3 laptop models and all keyboards were molded straight into the bezel itself, seems like the only way to replace it is to swap the whole upper case with a new one. You might want to ask Lenovo Support forums to verify.

I would try confirming if the keys work using the BIOS technique mentioned above, and if they don't you'll probably have to live with it and use an external keyboard or get it replaced. The Ideapad Gaming 3 was launched very recently in 2022, it has a 1-2 year warranty and it could still be active and the Lenovo Vantage app will tell you if it is.

I don't know how repair work is done, however, and all of my Lenovo products are older than 2020 and out of warranty. You could always buy an extended warranty of some kind that will specifically target keyboard replacement, the IdeaPad G3 EOL support is 2027 so you have some time to get it done through Lenovo.

 

[PrimeAmbition]

entering the BIOS and finding an area where you may be able to type alphanumeric entries.

even in the Bios the d key doesn't work and the q key only works some of the time, just like everywhere else

 

[PrimeAmbition]

It sounds like you have keyboard failure in your laptop, similar thing happened to my Thinkpad T410 but it was used prior to me owning it. The comma button wouldn't work or just stick until pushed (beaten) again.

While the T410 keyboard is simple to replace, your 15ach6 looks like it has a non-replaceable keyboard. The couple teardown videos I referenced had general IdeaPad Gaming 3 laptop models and all keyboards were molded straight into the bezel itself, seems like the only way to replace it is to swap the whole upper case with a new one. You might want to ask Lenovo Support forums to verify.

I would try confirming if the keys work using the BIOS technique mentioned above, and if they don't you'll probably have to live with it and use an external keyboard or get it replaced. The Ideapad Gaming 3 was launched very recently in 2022, it has a 1-2 year warranty and it could still be active and the Lenovo Vantage app will tell you if it is.

I don't know how repair work is done, however, and all of my Lenovo products are older than 2020 and out of warranty. You could always buy an extended warranty of some kind that will specifically target keyboard replacement, the IdeaPad G3 EOL support is 2027 so you have some time to get it done through Lenovo.

First off, thank you for the response.
I went ahead and asked on the Lenovo forum, still waiting for a reply there. However, the Lenovo Vantage application is telling me that, for damage, even if I pay now, they won't fix anything until after 30 days of my purchase. I would really like the issue fixed without waiting an entire month with two rapidly degrading keys. However, I am unsure if they would classify this issue as damage or not.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

even in the Bios the d key doesn't work

i would consider it a dead/dying keyboard then.

it's possible that you could find a shop that would offer to find an OEM keyboard and install it.
you would need to see what type of price quotes you can get and compare that to the cost of a full out replacement system.

but if you can go with an extended warranty option that will include this type of repair, it may turn out a cheaper option.

when was it purchased, and from where?

 

[BrickStation]

First off, thank you for the response.
I went ahead and asked on the Lenovo forum, still waiting for a reply there. However, the Lenovo Vantage application is telling me that, for damage, even if I pay now, they won't fix anything until after 30 days of my purchase. I would really like the issue fixed without waiting an entire month with two rapidly degrading keys. However, I am unsure if they would classify this issue as damage or not.

I would wait for that response from Lenovo Support on what the issue is and what you can do about it, they work pretty quickly. If you purchased the laptop recently then it's more of a quality issue than damage, unless you beat the laptop like I do. It shouldn't have hardware issues immediately out of the box and after normal use.

Also, it sort of sounds like your wait time is a 30-day trial until the return period expires, maybe Lenovo doesn't want to repair it until the laptop can't be returned to the store. I'm just speculating though.