Hello,
Could you share a bit more information, which MEK board revision are you using?
Also, which BSP version are you using for your test?
I have tried on my side SCH-29683 REV C2, Linux 5.15.52-2.1.0 and couldn't reproduce your issue. I can interact with serial terminal no matter if USB Type-C is connected or not.
Best regards,
Aldo.