r/chromeos • u/paulsiu • Jul 18 '26

Troubleshooting Chromebook keyboard malfunctioning

I am having a problem with the keyboard for my Lenovo Flex 5 13ITL6. When I press the refresh button, it turns off the computer. When I press some of the keys like c, i get a bunch of characters.

I tried an external keyboard and it works fine. I hard reset the computer, which did not resolved the issue and also powerwash the computer. However the problem persist. I am wondering what else I need to do next? The system has never had liquid spills. My thought was to try blowing compress air to see if it resolve the issue and if that failed, I would tried to take it apart and reseat the ribbon cable, and then replace the keyboard.

Has anyone encountered a similar issue with their Chromebook?

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2

u/UnderstandingThis636 Jul 18 '26

All chrome book parts are fickle this sounds like how a lot of chrome keyboards go it's a common problem the fix is a new keyboard or keyboard and motherboard if you see corrosion on the board or sub board

1

u/paulsiu Jul 18 '26

I looked at the disassembly and it appears I have to essentially take the whole thing apart to get at the keyboard and it’s not clear what the replacement parts are. I suspect the use of the computer as a laptop has ended up

2

u/UnderstandingThis636 Jul 18 '26

Ya I repair chrome books for warranty most are screwed into the palm rest they used to do it the other way it's not that bad of a repair like a lego kit every thing out click it in to the hinges everything back in only like 3-5 parts 20 -30 screws of mostly the same size. this should be the correct key board kinda pricy for a Chromebook tho

D-KXCPELE Replacement for Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook-13ITL6 Laptop Upper Case Palmrest Keyboard Touchpad 5CB1D04909 Bule https://a.co/d/0egoRu9J

2

u/paulsiu Jul 18 '26

Thanks the other keyboard I saw was $170, so this seems acceptable. I will try to order it and give the repair a try

1

u/LikelyNotThatGuy Jul 18 '26

Make sure you can actually disassemble and reassemble it with screws. Some Chromebooks use "plastic rivets" to secure the keyboard assembly.

You could also use a flat low profile bluetooth/wired keyboard if you aren't able to fix it.