diff --git a/drivers/cpufreq/cpufreq.c b/drivers/cpufreq/cpufreq.c
index bc19d6c16aaa..a7db4f22a077 100644
--- a/drivers/cpufreq/cpufreq.c
+++ b/drivers/cpufreq/cpufreq.c
@@ -2634,6 +2634,13 @@ int cpufreq_register_driver(struct cpufreq_driver *driver_data)
 	if (cpufreq_disabled())
 		return -ENODEV;
 
+	/*
+	 * The cpufreq core depends heavily on the availability of device
+	 * structure, make sure they are available before proceeding further.
+	 */
+	if (!get_cpu_device(0))
+		return -EPROBE_DEFER;
+
 	if (!driver_data || !driver_data->verify || !driver_data->init ||
 	    !(driver_data->setpolicy || driver_data->target_index ||
 		    driver_data->target) ||