A brand-new MacBook Pro (M5 Pro, 24GB RAM) is experiencing frequent, severe kernel panics. The system freezes completely for a few seconds before executing an automatic reboot or shutdown. This behavior occurs roughly 10+ times per day, significantly disrupting production work.
The issue initially triggered immediately after migrating data from a base M4 MacBook Pro via Migration Assistant.
Steps Taken & Troubleshooting Hardware Diagnostics: Ran Apple Diagnostics locally; all hardware checks passed with no errors detected.
OS Updates: Installed the minor macOS patch intended to resolve M5 automatic reboot bugs. The issue persisted.
System Erase: Performed a complete factory reset ("Erase All Content and Settings") and a clean OS reinstallation as advised by Apple Support.
Beta Testing: Upgraded to the macOS Tahoe Beta following guidance from a DST Engineer who indicated the issue was addressed in this build. The frequent crashes continue to occur on the beta track.
Case / Feedback Reference Feedback ID: FB23273513 (Captured after the system format)
The issue initially triggered immediately after migrating data from a base M4 MacBook Pro via Migration Assistant.
Just to clarify, were you having any issues with panics on the M4? My guess is you weren't, but if you were, then that could change my analysis.
In any case, my best guess at this point is that this is a hardware issue, probably tied to bad RAM [1]. Given that this is a new machine, I'd recommend contacting AppleCare and working with them to get a replacement machine.
[1] Assuming this was not also happening on the previous MacBook Pro.
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Kevin Elliott
DTS Engineer, CoreOS/Hardware
