MBP 13 2020 won't recognize USB devices from TB dock after sleeping and connecting to the dock. After unplugging the dock MBP crashes and does SMC reset

I did some testing in Big Sur 11.2 and it seems to have fixed it on my 2020MBP13!

My problem with DELL WD19TB got resolved after upgrading to Big Sur 11.4 from Catalina. Both screens are automatically detected. Phew...

True. However, I believe this is something that Apple maybe aware of but may not be a priority item to address on their list? I think they then not to conduct hotfix for such issues - unless we have greater outcry in the Apple community. But currently, I don't think there's a lot (in my observant). However, CalDigit is aware and I understand they have communicated it with Apple. In my email with CalDigit, they state:

"Therefore, we recommend to wait until Apple releases its new macOS version (Big Sur) later this year because the issue should be addressed in this new release. We cannot guarantee the issue will be solved right at the first release so therefore we advise to make sure your MacBook is running on the latest macOS version at all times."

I can confirm that 10.15.6 will crash the MacBook Pro as well, same as 10.15.7, I've have continued doing testing with 10.15.5 and no crash at all, that means something software related was introduced in 10.15.6 that is triggering this problem.

I just updated to Big Sur Beta 10 today in hopes of resolving this and it *seems* to be working so far. Haven't seen the same kernel panic since, and I've un-docked and re-docked 3-4 times now.

Hardware:

2020 MBP13

Using CalDigit TS3 Dock

I suggest that everyone experiencing this issue opens a case with Apple Support, so that Apple recognizes that it is a widespread issue, and makes it a priority to fix the problem. Feel free to reference the case that I have open - Case Number 101220516572.

Just an update from my end. I spoke with an Apple "senior advisor" last week about this. During our phone call I did a data capture and sent results to Apple engineers. I also sent links to this discussion thread and made it clear that this wasn't an issue just with my computer. The rep was responsive and great and said he would be back in touch as soon as he heard from engineers. This is what I got from him yesterday:

"I actually got a response from our engineers! They actually stated that this particular issue should be resolved in Big Sur. They advised me to have you update after reviewing your logs. Going forward I would recommend verifying the compatibility of the programs that you need to use, prior to updating. If the Issue continues, let me know. We’ll have to gather new logs at that point and update our engineers."

I responded that Big Sur is definitely not the cure-all for this situation as there are tons of comments on this thread making it clear that it is not a fix for at least some users. I also said I have no interest in upgrading to a system that is almost certainly full of bugs that will not be compatible with some of my apps. I asked why this issue in Catalina hadn't already been resolved -- it's been over a year -- and asked for a refund for my MacBook Pro.

This is the nuclear option but it might get Apple's attention more quickly if a number of people are making the same request. The last thing I want to do is have to start over with another computer, but at least this offers some degree of leverage, particularly if a lot of customers are making same demand...

Well, for what it's worth I disabled power nap on adaptor (it was already disabled on battery on my machine) and haven't had a kernel panic or loss of power in the past 24 hours (the KP usually happens overnight, and it didn't last night). Possibly just a coincidence but interesting. Also speaking with a senior advisor tomorrow, who wants me to create a partition on my HD (suggested by engineers) and install Big Sur, then send them diagnostics from there. We'll see.

May I ask if you had the lid of the MBP open or closed when unplugging and plugging back the external display?

Because I found that in my case, this makes the difference, and I wonder if it's the same for others.

It seems to me that Apple fixed something in Big Sur that now allows unplugging/plugging TB screens/docks fine when the MBP is fully awake, including the internal display.

However the problem remains (in my case) when unplugging with the lid closed.

This was my normal workflow - external monitor, keyboard, trackpad at work, MBP with lid closed all day. Now I found that when I open the lid just before disconnecting the TB monitor (LG Ultrafine 5k), I can use the MBP standalone fine afterwards, and I can also re-connect the LG next day to the MBP with lid closed.

Maybe "lid open or closed at disconnect" this is the difference between those reports here that state Big Sur has helped vs. those (like mine) when it obviously has not.

On my MBP2020 Catalina 10.15.7 this problem may have been solved. Anyway, now when I reconnect the Thunderbolt3 dock (CalDigit TS3 Plus), the problem does not occur.

This may not be the case for everyone, but in my case, the problem has not occurred since I upgraded the DisplayLink Manager to 1.2.0.

So far I haven't had a single crash, everything has been working as it should be with macOS Big Sur Beta 10, I hope it will stay like this.

I installed Big Sur 11.0.1 RC2 this morning and it looks quite positive. I did not manage to crash it yet!!!

It's only been 10 hours, but I did try.

Helo,

I have experienced very same issues with not only Caldigit TS3 Plus dock but also with i-tec Thunderbolt 3 Dual 4K Docking Station ( https://i-tec.cz/en/produkt/tb3hdmiplusx-2/ ).

I have even tried installing naked Macos with no applications to ensure there is no application conflict and same issue happens. USB devices missing, even Thunderbolt device not visible and after replugging one more time it crashes.

Macbook Pro (2020, 13").

Guys, if you want more focus on Apple's side on this issue, I would encourage you to take 1minute to file a bug using the MacOS "Feedback Assistant" app. Bugs with a lot of affected users registered against then typically get fix quicker than random shouts on this discussion forum. And thanks to Broko for getting us started on this thread.

I've been having issues described here with v10.15.6 as well, and like others, I have the 2020 13" MBP with a TS3+ dock. The only thing I'd like to add regards the OS version and behavior. I've been tracking an issue on this laptop for a few months now (back when it was running v10.15.5), and as I wrote (paraphrased) in my notes:

There exists a repeatable problem that happens a couple times a week (sometimes twice in one day). It seems to be correlated to using the dock, but this isn't very well defined. At some point, I plug my computer into the dock and the external USB keyboard stops working. Once the keyboard stops working, I have to use the laptop keyboard until I reboot the computer. Once the above issue with the keyboard is seen, the computer will keep working for some number of minutes or hours, and then will crash to a black screen that says (in 6 languages), "Your computer restarted because of a problem. Press a key or wait a few seconds to continue starting up."

As far as I can tell, the only difference between v10.15.5 and v10.15.6 is the delay between when the failure occurs, and when it actually crashes the OS.

I submitted this issue to Apple Care and they ran a "full 6-hour diagnostic test" overnight and found no fault with the hardware. So they reformatted the laptop and reinstalled macOS (v10.15.6). I brought the laptop home (installed only Firefox and Vivaldi from the initial state) and reproduced the crash the very next day. I just made it happen again 5 minutes ago.

This is maybe obvious to everyone, but just in case it needs to be clear; this is utterly unacceptable. I bought this laptop on the hope of stability.