lsmod 'used by' shows -1 while CONFIG_MODULE_UNLOAD=y In this post there is some explanation about why does `lsmod` show `-2` in _'used by'_ column. The idea is that the kernel config option `CONFIG_MODULE_UNLOAD` was not set. But what if `lsmod` shows `-1` only for one specific module while `CONFIG_MODULE_UNLOAD` is set in my current kernel? How to debug this muddle?

A module reference count of -1, visible both in `/sys/module//refcnt` and in `lsmod`’s output, means that the module is currently unloading.

If a module’s reference count stays at -1, that indicates a problem — `dmesg` should tell you more.