Recurring MacBook Air M2 Crash and Reboot Issues - Persistent DCP PANIC Errors Despite Repairs

It is an issue related to a display.

DCP == Display Co-Processor

It could be related to an external display, or possibly an external adapter/dock/hub/cable which has a display connection or has display features, or it could be the I/O port on the laptop, display cables, or the Logic Board itself. There is even a possibility of a macOS bug which certain hardware configurations involving displays can crash the system with these DCP Kernel Panics. As you can see, there are a lot of possibilities here with very few actually involving a hardware issue with the M-series Mac.

We have seen lots various DCP based Kernel Panics on this forum, but very little useful information or feedback from users. This is not something that is easy to troubleshoot. The first level Apple support agents have no clue about what they are doing when it comes to this particular issue since they do not understand Kernel Panics. You need to have Apple support escalate your issue up the chain so you can get assistance from an Apple engineer who understands Kernel Panics.

You can also help out by trying to identify whether any particular external device is causing this problem. It is best to do the testing with a clean install of macOS. A clean install of macOS is when you erase the disk followed by reinstalling macOS......just do not install any third party apps or restoring from a backup just in case there is a third party software component associated with the issue. Test thoroughly a clean install under these conditions. If you cannot reproduce the problem with a clean install under these conditions, then you can try reinstalling third party apps one at a time to see if & when the issue comes back. Restoring from a backup although that will likely bring back the third party software causing the issue unless you only bring back the home user folder(s) & your data.

Either you will figure out the source of the problem, or you will be able to provide Apple engineers with some valuable information regarding the issue.

kingshum98 wrote:

As I’ve said before, I haven’t given up on Apple, but honestly, I’ve gone way beyond what a normal customer should ever have to do. I installed diagnostic software, sent panic logs and data to Apple engineers, and tried everything possible to help them identify the issue.

Some issues do require the user to do a lot of things to help isolate & reproduce the issue. Especially if the issue cannot be produced on demand for a tech. In fact, I've seen numerous cases where the user's home environment is either causing the problem or at least triggering the problem (home power, connected devices, etc.).

As a tech, the hardest part for me is to actually figure out exactly what the user may be encountering. That involves trying to translate their description of the issue into what may be occurring & trying to figure out ways to reproduce the issue....sometimes I'm happy just to find any issue & hoping it is related the issue the user has reported. Years ago I actually wrote a script so the user could run it at home while using their laptop so I could try to identify the source of their WiFi issue which I could not reproduce in the shop.

Keep in mind Apple realizes people are not really testing a clean pristine installation of macOS because the user wants/needs to keep working, but installing anything else actually complicates confirming a hardware or software issue. So when Apple is unable to find anything unusual, they will give up & assume it is some sort of issue with third party software or a custom configuration.....many times that will be true too.

Big shoutout to Majella from Apple Cork in Ireland – she was amazing. She connected my device to hers, walked me through using Apple’s internal tool Capture Data 9.11.0, and forwarded all the info to a senior engineer for analysis. She even called me today with the results: the display has a hardware fault.

Thanks for the follow up to confirm what I suspected was the cause. It is really nice to know since I have only seen this issue reported on the Apple forum, but not on any of my organization's M-series Macs that I am aware.

What’s frustrating is that the diagnostic tool used in Apple Stores (you know, the one that always gives green checkmarks?) couldn’t detect it at all. Ridiculous.

Yeah, the Apple service diagnostics have drastically decreased in quality over the years. Back in the PPC days Apple did have some good diagnostics, but even then they would not detect most issues....best case was the diagnostic would freeze during a multiple loop test over 24 hours which would help us narrow down the issue.

Unfortunately the diagnostics today for the M-series Macs are a complete joke. They mostly just check for the presence of certain components. Most of their diagnostics complete in about a minute or two, with the longest ones running maybe 5, possibly 10 minutes. Certainly no looping of tests for hours. In Apple's defense, there really isn't a whole lot they can do to check for Display Assembly issues although Display sleeping/waking or disconnecting display & reconnecting may be good to add to the diagnostic. Unfortunately all my older diagnostic utilities & tools no longer work for an M-series Mac so I am left with very little to help discover & isolate issues these days. It will be years, if ever, before such utilities will become available.

Diagnostics are generally worthless unless they find some issue.

The real issue here is that Apple’s product quality seems to have dropped. It feels like it's all about the numbers and profit now, not the user experience. It honestly reminds me of that Boeing 737 Max documentary – when a company cares more about looking good on paper than how their customers feel.

Apple has made some great advances and has really gone backwards in other areas. Apple certainly cares more about new & fancy features even if they are broken or incomplete. I think most companies now rush things out the door hoping a software and/or firmware patch can be made to fix things later. And only fixing major items and neglecting/overlooking anything less.

Back to the positive: Majella has been incredible. She’s followed up with me several times, stayed on top of my case, and asked me to go to an Apple Store to request a display replacement, as recommended by the senior engineer.

Apple does have some very good people. Sometimes they are blocked by internal politics & rules though.

But honestly? This has left me so disappointed. I’ve given Apple enough chances. After this experience, I don’t think I’ll be buying another Mac again.

Windows PCs are not much better. Windows itself is a nightmare since they now force updates on everyone and the hardware is a mixed mess with very few actual good systems. Each new Windows update seems to break something new & unusual. I'm still using a 2008 era Dell laptop because I cannot stand the newer systems (especially the Trackpads) and completely avoid Windows.

kingshum98 wrote:

Thank you, HWTech, for your detailed insight 🙏

When I went to the Apple Store, the technician erased everything and did a full clean install of macOS. Since then, I haven't installed any third-party apps at all, but the problem still keeps happening 😓

If that is the case, then the Apple Store should be willing to start replacing parts on the laptop. Most people end up reinstalling everything after the clean install which complicates matters. The fact your laptop continues having Kernel Panics in a pristine state indicates a hardware issue with the laptop itself. See if the Apple Store is now willing to repair the laptop.

kingshum98 wrote:

Thank you, HWTech, for your detailed insight 🙏

I can guarantee that I have not plugged in any HDMI or connected an external display to my MacBook, so it's very likely that the issue lies with the logic board itself 🧠🔍

Are any USB-C adapters, docks, or hubs connected which have a video port even if unused?

And does the issue occur even when no external devices are connected?

It is also possible the built-in Display is the problem.

Do the crashes happen when waking the laptop from sleep or when powering it on?

Are you able to notice a pattern of when the crashes occur? Such as using a certain app?

How often do you reboot the laptop? Perhaps completely power off / shutdown the laptop overnight and power it on when you need to use it to compare results.

If you can notice a pattern or able to reproduce the problem on demand, that will really help Apple or even us to figure it out. Once you are able to reproduce on demand, then you can try a clean install without any third party apps and without restoring from a backup to see if it still occurs.

I can tell you it is not easy to troubleshoot these more recent Macs.....especially the M-series since so many methods available to Intel Macs no longer can be used with M-series Macs. I will actually spend weeks trying to just see or reproduce an issue reported by one of my organization's users. I know they encountered something, but trying to figure out what is much harder these days. Even when I've personally seen a problem occur, it isn't always enough to provide me a clue unless I can reproduce it on demand. I'm trying to come up with new ways to troubleshoot & diagnose these M-series Macs, but so far haven't been successful. Apple isn't one to take a device and test it for weeks....in fact if their diagnostics run clean Apple is satisfied, especially if a clean install without third party software or restoration from a backup works.

Please keep us updated.

ashwani281 wrote:

I am also facing the same issue, and it hasn't been resolved yet. Does anyone know how to fix this problem?

I have seen several variations on the "DCP Panics" Kernel Panics. Some of them have been due to software issues, while others have had to due with external display issues, while the OP's Kernel Panic ended up being due to a bad built-in Display Assembly.

If you want assistance from the community, it would be best to start your own new thread since your Kernel Panic is likely to be a bit different, or your setup may be different. I highly recommend you run the third party app EtreCheck and post the complete report in your new thread so the forum contributors can examine it to better assist you.

How to use the Add Text Feature When Posting an EtreCheck Report - Apple Community

Unfortunately you will still likely need to deal with Apple support directly which means going through a lot of basic troubleshooting steps with low level support if we suspect it is a hardware issue with the Mac. Once you have exhausted their abilities, then you need to have your case escalated so an engineer will get involved to examine your Kernel Panic log to confirm which part needs to be replaced. In the OP's case here, Apple replaced the wrong part the first time around. Apple had a 50/50 chance & guessed wrong. Getting Apple to replace the other part was another uphill battle for the OP which the OP finally succeeded so it seems since they have not been back here to mention any problems.

kingshum98 wrote:

Update – 19/05

Alright, I received my MacBook with the hardware replaced

Thanks for the update to know that Apple replaced the Display Assembly & Lid Angle Sensor this time.

Please let us know how it is going in a month (not sure when Apple closes a thread due to inactivity, but I believe the thread should still remain open in a month).

We are hoping this repair is the final solution to the DCP Kernel Panics.

Thank you for that update.

In your position I would indeed be annoyed at the inordinate amount of time and inconvenience it took to arrive at the same conclusion we did based on nothing more than the KP report you initially posted weeks ago. Although it is not possible for us to speculate just how widespread the problem may be, it is known to exist with that specific model Mac. You should not have been accused of doing anything that might have caused it to occur, nor should you have been asked to perform a bunch of meaningless and irrelevant actions... but as I wrote earlier, what I think doesn't matter.

That said, I can’t be completely sure it’s all perfect yet. If any CPU panic issues come up, I’ll update you guys.

Please do.

Has anyone else had this issue with their M2 MacBook?

Yes. Many. Bring it back to Apple a third time, repeat as required.

Personally I do not consider it unreasonable nor is it "extreme" to expect a Mac to work, but what I think doesn't matter. What is unreasonable is expecting you to endlessly repeat steps that may have provided helpful information to Apple, but have not resulted in any kind of resolution or even a hint that one may be forthcoming.

On that point I suggest your story is not yet over. Apple gathered copious amounts of information from your Mac and forwarded it to their engineers. This problem can be fixed, of that I am certain. Whether they have the willingness or motivation to do that is unknown. You on the other hand have the motivation to get it fixed, so I reiterate the need to bring it back to Apple, as many times as necessary, five, six, a dozen times, whatever, until one of these two outcomes result: 1. they fix it, or 2. you give up.

For what it's worth I have never personally experienced a KP in any of the Macs I own or control. Not a single one, not in decades of Mac usage. Nor do I reboot them routinely. They run for weeks or months on end without complaint. They have to, for the work that I do. That's how Apple designs them. Reboots are seldom. I reboot for software updates, to restore a TM backup after experimentation duplicating problems other people may have with theirs, personal "morbid curiosity" variety experimentation including beta testing, intentional installation of known malware, evaluating dubious third party software such as "anti-virus" or "cleaning" junk... that sort of thing.

Therefore it is just as unreasonable for Apple to expect you to tolerate random crashes or kernel panics, or to occasionally reboot to hide some problems that should be fixed.

On that subject I can speculate what that fix is likely to entail, but speculation generally runs afoul of this site's Terms of Use, besides, it help you either.

Take it back. Again.

I'm curious if others experiencing this issue also use or have used in the past an iPad or other device as a wireless extended display.

I am currently working through a lengthy process with Apple to resolve this issue, but they seem to believe it's not a hardware problem. They returned my laptop and advised me to use it without an Apple ID to see if the crashes persist.

/s I might need to hire someone to use my laptop – it's practically useless without my Apple ID, and I can't imagine getting any work done without it.