I've had a lot of USB cables die. I would try a fresh USB A to C cable and make sure its not a 'charge only' cable, I have a few of those bought specifically to be able to charge without a data connect.
AA (Android Auto) has worked pretty much every time I get in my Expedition, and plug the phone into the cable i have for it. once in a lot of tries,. it doesn't want to work, unplugging, shutting the truck off, plugging back in and restarting the truck almost always fixes it. My wife's 2016 Mercedes also supports AA (after a firmware hack as it wasn't a supported feature until 2017), and same thing, it nearly aways worked without a hiccup. Our phones are both Google Pixels, mine is a 9pro, hers is an 8pro. We also racked up 1000s of miles over 3ish weeks in Greece with a rented 2021 BMW 330e and Android Auto, and man, navigating around the rural parts of Pelopennes without Android would have been a nightmare.