You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Frequent Kernel Panic Late 2016 MacBook Pro 13"

Hi - I'm having issues with frequent kernel panics. It started a year ago when my MacBook crashed and would reboot to a flashing folder with a question mark in the middle. It would seem it was an issue with not finding the boot drive. I used the Command and R key combination to bring up Disk Utility or restore options. I kept on getting back to the flashing folder. I called Apple Support and they said that I would need to bring the unit to a third party repair service since all Apple retail centers were closed due to COVID. I did bring it in to a repair center and they had the same problem. Essentially they told me they would need to send the unit to Apple for repair. I declined and decided to wait until local retail stores were open again.


Now that my local Apple stores are open I decided to try to boot up again to see if I could get to the disk utility screen. After countless attempts I was successful! Persistence paid off! I was able to save the kernel panic report but the system was very unstable. The system seemed to settle down after resetting NVRAM and SMC. I upgraded the OS from Catalina to Big Sur. After that the frequency of the kernel panics seemed to be random. They now occur overnight during which no programs were open.


I am attaching the first kernel panic (4/6/21) after I was able to get the unit running again and the kernel panic from last night (4/21/21). The question is whether this is a software issue? Is it a faulty SSD or logic board? Is there a firmware update for the SSD like the one Apple uses for the 2017 MackBook Pro 13"?


Thank you for any insights you may have.



Posted on Apr 21, 2021 12:32 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Apr 21, 2021 6:20 PM

It looks like you have the 2 USB-C port model (non-Touchbar). Both Kernel Panic logs are showing "NVMe: fatal error" where "NVMe" refers to your SSD. You need to make a backup if you need to save your data since the SSD could fail completely at any time. I've seen this error with some of our organization's Macs and sometimes the SSD disappears completely while I'm making my initial diagnosis.


The partial good news is Apple has a free SSD repair program for certain laptops:

https://support.apple.com/13-inch-macbook-pro-solid-state-drive-service


Here is a free battery repair program for this model as well:

https://support.apple.com/13inch-macbookpro-battery-replacement


FYI, here is the current list of the publicly acknowledged free repair programs for various Apple products (some products like your laptop have multiple programs available):

https://support.apple.com/service-programs

Similar questions

6 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Apr 21, 2021 6:20 PM in response to safemanusa0548

It looks like you have the 2 USB-C port model (non-Touchbar). Both Kernel Panic logs are showing "NVMe: fatal error" where "NVMe" refers to your SSD. You need to make a backup if you need to save your data since the SSD could fail completely at any time. I've seen this error with some of our organization's Macs and sometimes the SSD disappears completely while I'm making my initial diagnosis.


The partial good news is Apple has a free SSD repair program for certain laptops:

https://support.apple.com/13-inch-macbook-pro-solid-state-drive-service


Here is a free battery repair program for this model as well:

https://support.apple.com/13inch-macbookpro-battery-replacement


FYI, here is the current list of the publicly acknowledged free repair programs for various Apple products (some products like your laptop have multiple programs available):

https://support.apple.com/service-programs

Apr 21, 2021 9:47 PM in response to HWTech

Thanks HWTech!!


I suspected that it is the SSD. I just didn't know how to decipher the reports.


I have used Time Machine to make a backup after I upgraded to Big Sur 11.2.3. Hopefully the backup and iCloud can restore the machine after the SSD is replaced.


I did run Disk Utility offline on all of the disk components and they all checked out.


I also ran the "D" diagnostics. I know there are more diagnostics that Genius Bar can run.


I don't qualify for the first program you listed since this is officially a late 2016 model. At least that is what the Apple Care Person on the phone told me after I told her my serial number. I don't qualify for the second program either. I will investigate the other programs you listed.


I have an appointment with Genius Bar techs on Saturday. We'll see what they say. I have 6 kernel panics so far and all are printed out.


Should the logic board also be replaced at the same time?


I have done SSD replacements in similar systems. Do you recommend Beetstech to source the SSD or should I stick to Apple?


Thanks again for your help!


Apr 22, 2021 8:08 AM in response to safemanusa0548

safemanusa0548 wrote:

I did run Disk Utility offline on all of the disk components and they all checked out.

I also ran the "D" diagnostics. I know there are more diagnostics that Genius Bar can run.

Unfortunately the Apple Diagnostics don't detect most types of drive failures. Disk Utility only checks the file system which doesn't normally drive health.


I have an appointment with Genius Bar techs on Saturday. We'll see what they say. I have 6 kernel panics so far and all are printed out.

Unless they understand how to interpret Kernel Panic logs, they may not find any issues. Typically SSDs are either working or not working. There is usually very little middle ground. However, if the SSD is "functional", then normal Apple techniques for troubleshooting will not identify the SSD as bad until the SSD dies completely.


Should the logic board also be replaced at the same time?

No. So far these types of issues have always been resolved by replacing just the SSD. SSDs are actually very "fragile" and can fail quite easily. I don't trust them at all and always have good backups.


I have done SSD replacements in similar systems. Do you recommend Beetstech to source the SSD or should I stick to Apple?

They should be an Ok company. I keep them on my radar for parts, but I've never purchased anything from them. However, you must be careful because if you get a 128GB or 256GB SSD from them for this laptop it may have a hardware/firmware issue as listed in the SSD repair program I linked earlier and you won't know it and an Apple tech has no way of identifying which SSDs are affected because Apple does not provide their techs with this information (they go by system serial number). You also have to make sure the SSD is not worn out or excessively used since SSDs have a limited number of lifetime writes available (of course I now check the SSDs Apple installs when they repair our laptops since I recently received an SSD that died within 90 days of the Apple repair due to being completely worn out).

Apr 22, 2021 1:56 PM in response to HWTech

HWTEch Great replies!! I have these comments and questions. I have these comments and questions.


However, you must be careful because if you get a 128GB or 256GB SSD from them for this laptop it may have a hardware/firmware issue as listed in the SSD repair program I linked earlier and you won't know it and an Apple tech has no way of identifying which SSDs are affected because Apple does not provide their techs with this information (they go by system serial number).

I went to the webpage for the SSD repair program and my MacBook Pro doesn't qualify. I am hoping that after they review the Kernel Panics and point out the "NVMe" that they will agree that I am having an SSD issue AND that my MackBook Pro uses the same SSD that the mid 2017 models use.


As Beetstech has found after doing extensive research - "Starting with the Late 2016 release [which is what I have], Apple began releasing two versions of its MacBook Pro laptop: the non Touch Bar (nTB) version [what I have], and the version with Touch Bar. Only the 13″ MacBook Pro was offered in the nTB version, and notably, the nTB version is the only MacBook Pro of this release that has a removable SSD." "The MacBook Pro 13″ that does have a removable SSD used the Gen. 5A SSDs, and the Late 2016 and Mid 2017 releases are the only two computers to support these drives. After extensive testing with every Gen. 5A drive we could get our hands on, it appears that 128GB SSDs with part numbers beginning with 656-0074 and 256GB SSDs with part numbers beginning with 656-0076 are only compatible with the model A1708 laptops from the Mid 2017 release."


So my point is there appears to be an overlap between the late 2016 and mid 2017 SSD and hopefully I can get a private SSD repair deal!


You also have to make sure the SSD is not worn out or excessively used since SSDs have a limited number of lifetime writes available (of course I now check the SSDs Apple installs when they repair our laptops since I recently received an SSD that died within 90 days of the Apple repair due to being completely worn out).


How do you determine how many read/writes there have been to the SSD? Is there a history you can view with Disk Utility? Did you get a refund from Apple? You should have because aren't they supposed to be selling new parts if they actually do the repair? Beetstech tells you up front that their parts are used so I wonder if after purchasing I find out that the SSD is nearly worn out if I'm screwed. How many read/writes cycles are the Generation 5A SSDs good for? I should find out what state my current SSD is in!

Apr 22, 2021 2:23 PM in response to safemanusa0548

safemanusa0548 wrote:


HWTEch Great replies!! I have these comments and questions. I have these comments and questions.

However, you must be careful because if you get a 128GB or 256GB SSD from them for this laptop it may have a hardware/firmware issue as listed in the SSD repair program I linked earlier and you won't know it and an Apple tech has no way of identifying which SSDs are affected because Apple does not provide their techs with this information (they go by system serial number).
I went to the webpage for the SSD repair program and my MacBook Pro doesn't qualify. I am hoping that after they review the Kernel Panics and point out the "NVMe" that they will agree that I am having an SSD issue AND that my MackBook Pro uses the same SSD that the mid 2017 models use.

The problem is you don't know whether the SSD you receive has the issue outlined in the Apple SSD repair program. Because Apple doesn't publish any details about exactly which SSDs are affected so there is no way to identify the problem SSDs except by the serial number of the laptop which is meaningless if the SSD is pulled from another unknown laptop (did that laptop qualify? Did that laptop get repaired?). It would be nice if we knew exactly which specific SSDs have the issue either by manufacturing date or by SSD serial number, etc. It would even be nice to know the exact issue. All I know is the issue can sometimes possibly be prevented by an SSD firmware update if the firmware is applied before the failure begins to occur, but I don't know any other details.


So my point is there appears to be an overlap between the late 2016 and mid 2017 SSD and hopefully I can get a private SSD repair deal!

Yes, the same SSD is used for both the 2016 & 2017 non-Touchbar models.


You also have to make sure the SSD is not worn out or excessively used since SSDs have a limited number of lifetime writes available (of course I now check the SSDs Apple installs when they repair our laptops since I recently received an SSD that died within 90 days of the Apple repair due to being completely worn out).

How do you determine how many read/writes there have been to the SSD? Is there a history you can view with Disk Utility?

You need to use an app like DriveDx to manually examine the SMART health information/attributes. Keep in mind most of these apps don't always properly interpret SSD health information so I only use them to warn me when something may potentially be a problem so I can manually examine the detail of the health report/information.


Did you get a refund from Apple? You should have because aren't they supposed to be selling new parts if they actually do the repair?

Apple replaced the Logic Board which included the integrated SSD for free under the 90 day part/repair warranty (we discovered the issue just over the 90 days so we had to push Apple a bit to get it covered -- the failure happened within the 90 days, but we didn't examine the laptop until after the 90 days due to being extremely busy).


Beetstech tells you up front that their parts are used so I wonder if after purchasing I find out that the SSD is nearly worn out if I'm screwed. How many read/writes cycles are the Generation 5A SSDs good for? I should find out what state my current SSD is in!

I'm not sure Apple even publishes that information. Typical numbers in general for TBW (Total Bytes Written) are 150TB or 300TB, but it depends on the size of the SSD and the NAND used and it can vary with different values than these two common values. It doesn't help that Apple SSDs only provide the most basic health information via the SMART health information on the SSD (a very unfortunate trend also being followed by most other SSD manufacturers for the NVMe based SSDs).


Apr 24, 2021 2:39 PM in response to HWTech

Hi HWTech,


I went to the Genius Bar. They submitted the unit to the Apple Technician and he ran full diagnostics and installed new Firmware and wiped the SSD and reinstalled Big Sur. I’m going to run it for a while without installing the content from the Time Machine. I’ll see if any kernel panics develop.


Thanks again for your help!

Frequent Kernel Panic Late 2016 MacBook Pro 13"

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.