Random Shutdown on Macbook Pro (15" mid 2014)

Hi Dennis,

Interesting! And thanks for pointing out the differences.

I solve the problem by disabling the Thunderbolt Ethernet Driver, by following the procedures:

1) reboot with CMD+R pressed.

2) open Terminal

3) sudo csrutil disable

4) reboot in normal mode

5) sudo mv /System/Library/Extensions/AppleThunderboltNHI.kext

/System/Library/Extensions/AppleThunderboltNHI.kext.BAK

6) reboot with CMD+R pressed

7) csrutil enable

8) reboot and forget about problem

Now I could not use the Thunderbolt Ethernet (which is quite troublesome when I must connect to the Ethernet). My interpretation is that there are some problems with the Thunderbolt Ethernet Driver. When I do not connect the cable, the driver may check for something related to Ethernet and crashes the OS, while I'm connecting the Thunderbolt Ethernet, everything goes fine.

No matter I turn on or off the WiFi, it stays the same. So I think it may not related to the WiFi.

Guys, I had EXACTLY the same problem. When connected to an external display AND an ethernet-to-thunderbolt adaptor, I never had any shutdown, but just working with my laptop I got random shutdowns. This was introduced in High Sierra tho. As I can't extract the responsible driver (it seems to be the culprit), I downloaded that little app called NoCrashMBP, it's a simple script that keeps CPU working. Definitely works. I didn't have even a single shutdown since I'm using it. Shame on Apple. This is the way they take care about professional people nowadays.

4k Hdmi dummy plug will also prevent shut down.

Appart from nocrashmpb and ethernet trick there is no other work around.

Couldn't this issue with MacBook Pro be the result of CPU throttling similar to what was recently revealed for iPhone? My MPB started shutting off at the battery cycle count above 500. Perhaps the CPU frequency got lowered when idling due to the battery wear, which cases a low-voltage shutoff.

Did anyone who experienced this issue change the laptop battery recently?

Hi Piotr, in our experience with two MPB 2014 don’t bother with taking it to the store or so called genius, they will totally ignore the issue, waste your time and at worst tell you to buy a new motherboard. The NoCrashMBP app is cheap ($10) and totally works. But it takes a bit more power so it is better if you are plugged in. I am not sure why APPLE is completely ignoring this issue. I guess that is what happens when you get so big.

I guess many of the people here (like me) affected by the MBP design flaw didn't really try to draw the attention of the company. We just found a workaround for the hardware issue by disabling a mandatory Thunderbolt driver, which causes a higher power consumption due to a logic error, which prevents the power system from going idle. Alternatively, we put some load on the system by connecting an external device or running a useless app in background. These days Apple support is pretty busy with the massive replacements of the iPhone battery by the people who ****** off by that sneaky CPU throttling. We could put even greater stress on Apple by bringing our affected MBPs to every Apple Store nearby and refusing to replace the logic board until they admit their fault and provide a free replacement. Of course, it's quite a waste of time, but such an exercise can be combined with a regular mall shopping once a month. At least the issue should get a high profile due to an increased number of claims.

We’ve been there. The so called Geniuses are useless. Apple is just ignoring the issue. Nothing fixes it but this NoCrashMPB app that stop the random shutting down but kills your battery time. I am starting to believe that ALL MacBook Pro 15” 2014 are doing this. Anyone has any idea on what can be done for Apple to actually start looking into it and find a simple fix?

You've identified the issue correctly, as far as my experience can tell you. I tried running the "yes > /dev/null &" script, but wasn't happy about how it maxed the CPU.

I found this cheap fix. https://realmacmods.com/product/macbook-pro-nocrash-utility/

For $10 it runs in the background keeping things running. Battery life is somewhat affected, but not terribly.

The root of this is a software bug that some years of MBP's don't like.

I replaced battery two months before bug appeared. It had 9 cycle count. Battery from aliexpress. I checked it with different tools. It is like original by all signs.

I had the exact same problem with my MacBook Pro Retina 15 mid-2014. No crash log and the diagnostics in the Apple Store didn't show anything. It ended up being the logic board and it cost me $600 to get it fixed. It is less than 2 years old.

Hi everyone, I am copying my comment on posts with the same exact issue. After 6 visits to the Apple Store due to the same issue and running every software and hardware diagnostics possible, I am now asked to pay $475 to have my MacBook Pro shipped off-site for hardware inspection. They do not know what is wrong with it but some technicians were guessing it was the logic board (that will be around $600 of a fix now). Anyhow, I am not going to be paying that much for a device I initially paid over 2 grand for. I brought up that fact that a lot of people in the community have been facing the same problem and asked what are the next steps that could be done to initiated some sort of program for these specific MacBook Pro Retina 2013-2015 models. I was told nothing will be done until Apple deems it is a big enough problem. It is not a user-related issue but rather a faulty manufacturing issue that users now have to pay the price for.

Hi all.

Ok. I spent one more night to dig that. Here we go: https://www.rossmanngroup.com/boards/forum/board-repair-troubleshooting/28288-82 0-3668-sudden-power-off In short: this bug is known and not solved.

Some more digging gave me knowledge that it is CPU related issue. Not GPU. One man tested with GPU loading firstly, but later found, that it is all about CPU. It is loaded - we are fine. It is in idle - we shut down.

I tried to run yes > /dev/null & one time, but it loads my cpu a lot and fans go full throttle. Not fun. I will better look at fullscreen youtube video of beach while working. 😀

And tomorrow I will visit nearest apple service to talk a bit. I dont think I will approve logic board replacement for 808 or how much $$$ + month (?). I found these logic boards on ebay and aliexpress. And they cost not more than 600$. (A lot too....)

Yes, the Macbook pro no crash app does work. And yes that is what the app says (0%…), had not have a crash for a month now and I use to have up to 8 times in a row in a couple of hours. I have actually closed the app now (it does take a bit of power from your battery) and for some reason it still is not crashing. It is a shame that apple can’t even noticed what Real Mac Mods have managed to fix. Those guys are for real.

Is there a way in which we can band together and put some pressure on Apple about this? Maybe forcing them to replace the faulty models with a different one. I'm absolutely stoked that I have my laptop working again thanks to the Macmod guy(s). But I still think this is a little too convenient for Apple. All these laptops shutting down, leaving no crash reports, making it impossible to find the problem and always resulting in a sale of a logic board. I'm on my second one experiencing this problem. Let's find a way to put pressure on this company.

Been using macbookpronocrash app for a few weeks now, works perfectly (feels like having a new macbook)

I used my laptop all day without the app running and it did not crash. Did mbp_nocrash fix it? weird.

Also wondering why apple does not acknowledge this problem. How many are we?