diff --git a/Source/Core/Core/Analytics.cpp b/Source/Core/Core/Analytics.cpp
index 4486a9708a..d83fb4762b 100644
--- a/Source/Core/Core/Analytics.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/Core/Analytics.cpp
@@ -391,9 +391,9 @@ void DolphinAnalytics::MakePerGameBuilder()
   // We grab enough to tell what percentage of our users are playing with keyboard/mouse, some kind
   // of gamepad
   // or the official gamecube adapter.
-  builder.AddData("gcadapter-detected", GCAdapter::IsDetected());
+  builder.AddData("gcadapter-detected", GCAdapter::IsDetected(nullptr));
   builder.AddData("has-controller", Pad::GetConfig()->IsControllerControlledByGamepadDevice(0) ||
-                                        GCAdapter::IsDetected());
+                                        GCAdapter::IsDetected(nullptr));
 
   m_per_game_builder = builder;
 }
diff --git a/Source/Core/DolphinQt/Config/Mapping/GCPadWiiUConfigDialog.cpp b/Source/Core/DolphinQt/Config/Mapping/GCPadWiiUConfigDialog.cpp
index 82e3e41a21..85cd35fb79 100644
--- a/Source/Core/DolphinQt/Config/Mapping/GCPadWiiUConfigDialog.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/DolphinQt/Config/Mapping/GCPadWiiUConfigDialog.cpp
@@ -28,9 +28,25 @@ void GCPadWiiUConfigDialog::CreateLayout()
 {
   setWindowTitle(tr("GameCube Adapter for Wii U at Port %1").arg(m_port + 1));
 
-  const bool detected = GCAdapter::IsDetected();
+  const char* error_message = nullptr;
+  const bool detected = GCAdapter::IsDetected(&error_message);
+  QString status_text;
+
+  if (detected)
+  {
+    status_text = tr("Adapter Detected");
+  }
+  else if (error_message)
+  {
+    status_text = tr("Error Opening Adapter: %1").arg(QString::fromUtf8(error_message));
+  }
+  else
+  {
+    status_text = tr("No Adapter Detected");
+  }
+
   m_layout = new QVBoxLayout();
-  m_status_label = new QLabel(detected ? tr("Adapter Detected") : tr("No Adapter Detected"));
+  m_status_label = new QLabel(status_text);
   m_rumble = new QCheckBox(tr("Enable Rumble"));
   m_simulate_bongos = new QCheckBox(tr("Simulate DK Bongos"));
   m_button_box = new QDialogButtonBox(QDialogButtonBox::Ok);
diff --git a/Source/Core/InputCommon/GCAdapter.cpp b/Source/Core/InputCommon/GCAdapter.cpp
index d52bdf561d..174e374bf8 100644
--- a/Source/Core/InputCommon/GCAdapter.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/InputCommon/GCAdapter.cpp
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 #include "Common/Event.h"
 #include "Common/Flag.h"
 #include "Common/Logging/Log.h"
+#include "Common/ScopeGuard.h"
 #include "Common/Thread.h"
 #include "Core/ConfigManager.h"
 #include "Core/Core.h"
@@ -29,7 +30,14 @@ static void ResetRumbleLockNeeded();
 static void Reset();
 static void Setup();
 
-static bool s_detected = false;
+enum
+{
+  NO_ADAPTER_DETECTED = 0,
+  ADAPTER_DETECTED = 1,
+};
+
+// Current adapter status: detected/not detected/in error (holds the error code)
+static int s_status = NO_ADAPTER_DETECTED;
 static libusb_device_handle* s_handle = nullptr;
 static u8 s_controller_type[SerialInterface::MAX_SI_CHANNELS] = {
     ControllerTypes::CONTROLLER_NONE, ControllerTypes::CONTROLLER_NONE,
@@ -54,7 +62,6 @@ static Common::Flag s_adapter_detect_thread_running;
 
 static std::function<void(void)> s_detect_callback;
 
-static bool s_libusb_driver_not_supported = false;
 #if defined(__FreeBSD__) && __FreeBSD__ >= 11
 static bool s_libusb_hotplug_enabled = true;
 #else
@@ -120,6 +127,10 @@ static int HotplugCallback(libusb_context* ctx, libusb_device* dev, libusb_hotpl
   {
     if (s_handle != nullptr && libusb_get_device(s_handle) == dev)
       Reset();
+
+    // Reset a potential error status now that the adapter is unplugged
+    if (s_status < 0)
+      s_status = 0;
   }
   return 0;
 }
@@ -158,7 +169,7 @@ static void ScanThreadFunc()
     {
       std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lk(s_init_mutex);
       Setup();
-      if (s_detected && s_detect_callback != nullptr)
+      if (s_status == ADAPTER_DETECTED && s_detect_callback != nullptr)
         s_detect_callback();
     }
     Common::SleepCurrentThread(500);
@@ -184,7 +195,7 @@ void Init()
     s_last_init = CoreTiming::GetTicks();
   }
 
-  s_libusb_driver_not_supported = false;
+  s_status = NO_ADAPTER_DETECTED;
 
   if (UseAdapter())
     StartScanThread();
@@ -247,6 +258,9 @@ static bool CheckDeviceAccess(libusb_device* device)
   NOTICE_LOG(SERIALINTERFACE, "Found GC Adapter with Vendor: %X Product: %X Devnum: %d",
              desc.idVendor, desc.idProduct, 1);
 
+  // In case of failure, capture the libusb error code into the adapter status
+  Common::ScopeGuard status_guard([&ret] { s_status = ret; });
+
   u8 bus = libusb_get_bus_number(device);
   u8 port = libusb_get_device_address(device);
   ret = libusb_open(device, &s_handle);
@@ -260,8 +274,6 @@ static bool CheckDeviceAccess(libusb_device* device)
   if (ret)
   {
     ERROR_LOG(SERIALINTERFACE, "libusb_open failed to open device with error = %d", ret);
-    if (ret == LIBUSB_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED)
-      s_libusb_driver_not_supported = true;
     return false;
   }
 
@@ -291,6 +303,9 @@ static bool CheckDeviceAccess(libusb_device* device)
     return false;
   }
 
+  // Updating the adapter status will be done in AddGCAdapter
+  status_guard.Dismiss();
+
   return true;
 }
 
@@ -323,7 +338,7 @@ static void AddGCAdapter(libusb_device* device)
   s_adapter_input_thread = std::thread(Read);
   s_adapter_output_thread = std::thread(Write);
 
-  s_detected = true;
+  s_status = ADAPTER_DETECTED;
   if (s_detect_callback != nullptr)
     s_detect_callback();
   ResetRumbleLockNeeded();
@@ -338,7 +353,7 @@ void Shutdown()
 #endif
   Reset();
 
-  s_libusb_driver_not_supported = false;
+  s_status = NO_ADAPTER_DETECTED;
 }
 
 static void Reset()
@@ -346,7 +361,7 @@ static void Reset()
   std::unique_lock<std::mutex> lock(s_init_mutex, std::defer_lock);
   if (!lock.try_lock())
     return;
-  if (!s_detected)
+  if (s_status != ADAPTER_DETECTED)
     return;
 
   if (s_adapter_thread_running.TestAndClear())
@@ -359,7 +374,7 @@ static void Reset()
   for (int i = 0; i < SerialInterface::MAX_SI_CHANNELS; i++)
     s_controller_type[i] = ControllerTypes::CONTROLLER_NONE;
 
-  s_detected = false;
+  s_status = NO_ADAPTER_DETECTED;
 
   if (s_handle)
   {
@@ -377,7 +392,7 @@ GCPadStatus Input(int chan)
   if (!UseAdapter())
     return {};
 
-  if (s_handle == nullptr || !s_detected)
+  if (s_handle == nullptr || s_status != ADAPTER_DETECTED)
     return {};
 
   int payload_size = 0;
@@ -497,7 +512,7 @@ void ResetRumble()
 // being called while the libusb state is being reset
 static void ResetRumbleLockNeeded()
 {
-  if (!UseAdapter() || (s_handle == nullptr || !s_detected))
+  if (!UseAdapter() || (s_handle == nullptr || s_status != ADAPTER_DETECTED))
   {
     return;
   }
@@ -527,14 +542,20 @@ void Output(int chan, u8 rumble_command)
   }
 }
 
-bool IsDetected()
+bool IsDetected(const char** error_message)
 {
-  return s_detected;
-}
+  if (s_status >= 0)
+  {
+    if (error_message)
+      *error_message = nullptr;
 
-bool IsDriverDetected()
-{
-  return !s_libusb_driver_not_supported;
+    return s_status == ADAPTER_DETECTED;
+  }
+
+  if (error_message)
+    *error_message = libusb_strerror(static_cast<libusb_error>(s_status));
+
+  return false;
 }
 
 }  // end of namespace GCAdapter
diff --git a/Source/Core/InputCommon/GCAdapter.h b/Source/Core/InputCommon/GCAdapter.h
index 02b15a3cd2..eb05335602 100644
--- a/Source/Core/InputCommon/GCAdapter.h
+++ b/Source/Core/InputCommon/GCAdapter.h
@@ -26,8 +26,7 @@ void StartScanThread();
 void StopScanThread();
 GCPadStatus Input(int chan);
 void Output(int chan, u8 rumble_command);
-bool IsDetected();
-bool IsDriverDetected();
+bool IsDetected(const char** error_message);
 bool DeviceConnected(int chan);
 void ResetDeviceType(int chan);
 bool UseAdapter();