diff --git a/fs/sysfs/dir.c b/fs/sysfs/dir.c
index 0791226..e9fddcc 100644
--- a/fs/sysfs/dir.c
+++ b/fs/sysfs/dir.c
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 
 DECLARE_RWSEM(sysfs_rename_sem);
 spinlock_t sysfs_lock = SPIN_LOCK_UNLOCKED;
+spinlock_t kobj_sysfs_assoc_lock = SPIN_LOCK_UNLOCKED;
 
 static spinlock_t sysfs_ino_lock = SPIN_LOCK_UNLOCKED;
 static DEFINE_IDA(sysfs_ino_ida);
@@ -426,8 +427,13 @@
 
 void sysfs_remove_dir(struct kobject * kobj)
 {
-	__sysfs_remove_dir(kobj->dentry);
+	struct dentry *d = kobj->dentry;
+
+	spin_lock(&kobj_sysfs_assoc_lock);
 	kobj->dentry = NULL;
+	spin_unlock(&kobj_sysfs_assoc_lock);
+
+	__sysfs_remove_dir(d);
 }
 
 int sysfs_rename_dir(struct kobject * kobj, struct dentry *new_parent,
diff --git a/fs/sysfs/sysfs.h b/fs/sysfs/sysfs.h
index 39ab048..718e2e1 100644
--- a/fs/sysfs/sysfs.h
+++ b/fs/sysfs/sysfs.h
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@
 extern int sysfs_setattr(struct dentry *dentry, struct iattr *iattr);
 
 extern spinlock_t sysfs_lock;
+extern spinlock_t kobj_sysfs_assoc_lock;
 extern struct rw_semaphore sysfs_rename_sem;
 extern struct super_block * sysfs_sb;
 extern const struct file_operations sysfs_dir_operations;