MacBook Pro 14 M3 MAX crashes with Kernel Panic

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mmerken Author

Level 1

15 points

MacBook Pro 14 M3 MAX crashes with Kernel Panic

I received my MacBook on NOV 20 2023

M3 MAX 16c/40c 64GB RAM 512 SSD

After 1 week the crashes started occurring.

On Sonoma 14, the Kernel Panics were logged and were always the same:

Kernel Panic IONVMEController

Sometimes, a shutdown stall is created:

Shutdown stall

I've been in contact with Apple Support from the moment it occurred.

Their suggestions, which I've executed, were:

Reinstall macOS (without restoring backup, setup as a new machine)
Run Diagnostics (no issues found)
Format drive using disk utility in Recovery and reinstall macOS
Use another Intel Mac to revive the MacBook via DFU mode and reinstall macOS
Reinstall macOS AGAIN but do not install ANY third-party software and try to reproduce

The latter I did during the Christmas break, the machine had an uptime of nearly 14 days.

During this period, I installed my software day after day to see what triggers the restarts.

I also kept the machine up to date (now Sonoma 14.2.1). Now the machine crashes and restarts but the Kernel Panic message does not always appear.

I'm a Software Developer, I run a Windows ARM VM using Parallels, Docker containers, IDE software, MS Teams, MS Office and OpenVPN.

Apple Support finally suggested going to an Apple store to hand in the device for examination, which is difficult since there's only 1 Apple Store in my country and its a long drive, I cannot afford to miss the device for weeks without a replacement.

I'm out of ideas here...

MacBook Pro 16″

Posted on Jan 11, 2024 12:51 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Grant Bennet-Alder

Level 10

141,541 points

Jan 11, 2024 11:59 AM in response to mmerken

NVME is the interface to the internal Boot drive.

Support should DIRECT an Apple Service Provider to replace your mainboard under warranty, to replace the drive soldered to that mainboard.

You need to ask support to connect you with a Specialist to read your detailed (and obvious) panic reports. They can read what has been posted here, (if you point them to it) but they do NOT take our word for conclusions. They have their own more-rigorous process.

If you visit an Apple Service Provider COLD, they do not read panic reports, and will not know from your reports that you have an obvious Hardware problem. They will run the diagnostic overnight and if no failures, return it to you, "no faults detected".

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Answer 2

mmerken Author

Level 1

15 points

Jan 30, 2024 4:26 AM in response to mmerken

Thanks to everyone involved here, my device is now at a certified repair shop, the machine is 3 months old. Had the issue in the second week of ownership.

They are going to replace the logic board, which has significant delays (2-3 weeks). If the machine is not repaired after 30 days, I should be eligible for a replacement device.

This is extremely frustrating, and Apple support is just magnificently providing me with a disservice!

I've had my workflow running on an MBP Intel, MBA M1 and now on a MBP M2PRO without issue!

Apple support keeps blaming Parallels Desktop for the Kernel Panics, which still occured after uninstalling the software and removing the VM from disk. I was convinced that it was a hardware issue, but now I am certain.

I'll update this post once my machine is repaired. For now, I'm serviced via a loaner MBP M2PRO from the certified repair shop, without any issues, this machine is a godsend.

If anyone else encounters this issue in the future, your logic board might need replacement, too.

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Answer 3

mmerken Author

Level 1

15 points

Jan 18, 2024 12:24 AM in response to mmerken

I promised the repair shop (certified Apple) that I'd be able to reproduce this issue within a day and indeed, after 4 hours of uptime, the machine failed.

I ran the diagnostics and got the error PPF001 (fan issue)

While I do not believe this is the culprit (I believe it is the SSD or at least the logic board) I contacted the repair shop, after insisting on a concrete solution, they eventually let me take in the machine and now they are scheduling a logic board replacement.

I was hoping Apple would send me a replacement machine, but instead, they told me to try and reproduce the issue again... Which happened after 4 hours of uptime after gotten it back from diagnostics...

It'll take a week to do the repair

In the meantime, I moved over my entire workflow to my old i7 2019 MBP, which runs everything just fine but around 1/4th the speed. My M1 MBA runs everything fine as well, albeit using 20GB SWAP (only 16GB RAM).

Just to say, I strongly believe the issue is NOT my workflow...

Thanks for all the replies, will update this post when the machine arrives from repair

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Answer 4

Jan 15, 2024 9:46 AM in response to mmerken

Do you by any chance have an external Thunderbolt SSD connected? If so, then the SSD issue could be caused by the external SSD. Disconnect all external devices in case one of them is causing a problem.

Otherwise, @Grant is correct that the internal SSD is most likely bad. There is a slim chance you may have some third party software installed which is causing a problem with the "nvme" SSD driver. Run EtreCheck and post the report here so we can examine the report for clues.

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Answer 5

mmerken Author

Level 1

15 points

Feb 1, 2024 8:14 AM in response to mmerken

Update on this.

I got my machine back, they replaced the entire logic board including the fans.

Will update this post after a week or two to verify the issue has been resolved.

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Answer 6

Jan 30, 2024 6:55 PM in response to Ruslan_Siberia

EtreCheck

Report

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Answer 7

Jan 30, 2024 7:22 PM in response to Ruslan_Siberia

I see you have a VPN installed. That is usually a bad sign, because VPN software is often installed after users decide a VPN protects their security & privacy. the reality is the opposite. if you need security & privacy, run MacOS and everything that can be done by software is already being done to protect you.

I realize that some users MUST use a VPN to dodge internet restrictions. If that is not your case, you should Un-install that VPN and never use it again.

Your Boot drive tests as very fast. but the panics seen appear to be caused file-provider daemon not responding, and hundreds of blocked processes backing up because of that.

I did not have a chance to look at every app you are running. MOST third-party apps will crash themselves if trouble erupts, and not take out system services like providing files.

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Answer 8

Jan 15, 2024 9:42 AM in response to mmerken

that is essentially what I wrote just above.

It will not be fixed using just diagnostics, you need Apple support (and a specialist at that) to read your reports. They can DIRECT an Apple Authorized Service Provider to make a repair, if they feel one is needed.

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Answer 9

mmerken Author

Level 1

15 points

Jan 11, 2024 11:36 AM in response to mmerken

It crashed 6 times today, the last crash resulted in a Kernel Panic log, all other crashes did not even log anything to the /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports directory!

It crashed for the 6th time while writing this reply for the 5th time!

Kernel panic

This is what was open at the time of the 5th crash:

This is me trying to type the reply when it crashed:

This shows how frequent the machine crashes on a daily basis. This is just sad, this machine almost coss me 5K and this just isn't workable.

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Answer 10

Jan 30, 2024 6:50 PM in response to mmerken

I also have a kernel problem... I usually close the laptop, and when I open it the next day, it reboots after a kernel panic. I bought a laptop in a neighboring country, we don't have Apple support... m3 max...

I also use parallels, because of it I changed m1 pro to m3 max.

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Answer 11

Feb 2, 2024 5:40 AM in response to mmerken

I also have Panic Kernel error issues that make my machine crash and reboot with an error message after logging in.

They happen around 2 or 3 times a day, and are so unpredictable. I see that you guys have Parallels and MS Teams, which I think are the source of the problem since I use them as well. I have a MacBook Pro 16 - M3 Pro.

I started a diary containing the details for each message error to show them to the Apple Store technicians, however they didn't mind about it.

I'm currently living abroad, so it's really difficult to hand in the device for 2 or more days for them to examine it.

What I did: (1) Reinstalled macOS, (2) ran diagnostics (no issues found), (3) formatted the drive using disk utility and reinstall macOS. It didn't work.

Is it really a hardware issue or the third party apps? Anybody with a final conclusion?

Thanks!!

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Answer 12

Feb 2, 2024 9:00 AM in response to ArturoFlash123

ArturoFlash123--

You have added your 'me too' post to a complex (likely hardware) issue that (after much difficulty) might have been resolved.

[in my opinion] YOU DO NOT have "exactly the same problem".

>> You should start a NEW discussion, and give it a Title that will attract Readers with expertise in the area giving you difficulty.

You should include your exact model MacBook Pro, including model-year, and the exact version of MacOS you are running.

if you are having kernel panics, that is not ONE issue, but one of THOUSANDS of issues. if you can post a report your should do so. But NOT here, this discussion is about a Different problem.

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