diff --git a/drivers/rtc/rtc-stmp3xxx.c b/drivers/rtc/rtc-stmp3xxx.c
index 767fee2..2601953 100644
--- a/drivers/rtc/rtc-stmp3xxx.c
+++ b/drivers/rtc/rtc-stmp3xxx.c
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 #include <linux/init.h>
 #include <linux/platform_device.h>
 #include <linux/interrupt.h>
+#include <linux/delay.h>
 #include <linux/rtc.h>
 #include <linux/slab.h>
 #include <linux/of_device.h>
@@ -119,24 +120,39 @@
 }
 #endif /* CONFIG_STMP3XXX_RTC_WATCHDOG */
 
-static void stmp3xxx_wait_time(struct stmp3xxx_rtc_data *rtc_data)
+static int stmp3xxx_wait_time(struct stmp3xxx_rtc_data *rtc_data)
 {
+	int timeout = 5000; /* 3ms according to i.MX28 Ref Manual */
 	/*
-	 * The datasheet doesn't say which way round the
-	 * NEW_REGS/STALE_REGS bitfields go. In fact it's 0x1=P0,
-	 * 0x2=P1, .., 0x20=P5, 0x40=ALARM, 0x80=SECONDS
+	 * The i.MX28 Applications Processor Reference Manual, Rev. 1, 2010
+	 * states:
+	 * | The order in which registers are updated is
+	 * | Persistent 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Alarm, Seconds.
+	 * | (This list is in bitfield order, from LSB to MSB, as they would
+	 * | appear in the STALE_REGS and NEW_REGS bitfields of the HW_RTC_STAT
+	 * | register. For example, the Seconds register corresponds to
+	 * | STALE_REGS or NEW_REGS containing 0x80.)
 	 */
-	while (readl(rtc_data->io + STMP3XXX_RTC_STAT) &
-			(0x80 << STMP3XXX_RTC_STAT_STALE_SHIFT))
-		cpu_relax();
+	do {
+		if (!(readl(rtc_data->io + STMP3XXX_RTC_STAT) &
+				(0x80 << STMP3XXX_RTC_STAT_STALE_SHIFT)))
+			return 0;
+		udelay(1);
+	} while (--timeout > 0);
+	return (readl(rtc_data->io + STMP3XXX_RTC_STAT) &
+		(0x80 << STMP3XXX_RTC_STAT_STALE_SHIFT)) ? -ETIME : 0;
 }
 
 /* Time read/write */
 static int stmp3xxx_rtc_gettime(struct device *dev, struct rtc_time *rtc_tm)
 {
+	int ret;
 	struct stmp3xxx_rtc_data *rtc_data = dev_get_drvdata(dev);
 
-	stmp3xxx_wait_time(rtc_data);
+	ret = stmp3xxx_wait_time(rtc_data);
+	if (ret)
+		return ret;
+
 	rtc_time_to_tm(readl(rtc_data->io + STMP3XXX_RTC_SECONDS), rtc_tm);
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -146,8 +162,7 @@
 	struct stmp3xxx_rtc_data *rtc_data = dev_get_drvdata(dev);
 
 	writel(t, rtc_data->io + STMP3XXX_RTC_SECONDS);
-	stmp3xxx_wait_time(rtc_data);
-	return 0;
+	return stmp3xxx_wait_time(rtc_data);
 }
 
 /* interrupt(s) handler */