diff --git a/fs/buffer.c b/fs/buffer.c
index 4be8b914a222..b946149e8214 100644
--- a/fs/buffer.c
+++ b/fs/buffer.c
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ void end_buffer_write_sync(struct buffer_head *bh, int uptodate)
 		set_buffer_uptodate(bh);
 	} else {
 		buffer_io_error(bh, ", lost sync page write");
-		set_buffer_write_io_error(bh);
+		mark_buffer_write_io_error(bh);
 		clear_buffer_uptodate(bh);
 	}
 	unlock_buffer(bh);
@@ -352,8 +352,7 @@ void end_buffer_async_write(struct buffer_head *bh, int uptodate)
 		set_buffer_uptodate(bh);
 	} else {
 		buffer_io_error(bh, ", lost async page write");
-		mapping_set_error(page->mapping, -EIO);
-		set_buffer_write_io_error(bh);
+		mark_buffer_write_io_error(bh);
 		clear_buffer_uptodate(bh);
 		SetPageError(page);
 	}
@@ -481,8 +480,6 @@ static void __remove_assoc_queue(struct buffer_head *bh)
 {
 	list_del_init(&bh->b_assoc_buffers);
 	WARN_ON(!bh->b_assoc_map);
-	if (buffer_write_io_error(bh))
-		mapping_set_error(bh->b_assoc_map, -EIO);
 	bh->b_assoc_map = NULL;
 }
 
@@ -1181,6 +1178,17 @@ void mark_buffer_dirty(struct buffer_head *bh)
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(mark_buffer_dirty);
 
+void mark_buffer_write_io_error(struct buffer_head *bh)
+{
+	set_buffer_write_io_error(bh);
+	/* FIXME: do we need to set this in both places? */
+	if (bh->b_page && bh->b_page->mapping)
+		mapping_set_error(bh->b_page->mapping, -EIO);
+	if (bh->b_assoc_map)
+		mapping_set_error(bh->b_assoc_map, -EIO);
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL(mark_buffer_write_io_error);
+
 /*
  * Decrement a buffer_head's reference count.  If all buffers against a page
  * have zero reference count, are clean and unlocked, and if the page is clean
@@ -3279,8 +3287,6 @@ drop_buffers(struct page *page, struct buffer_head **buffers_to_free)
 
 	bh = head;
 	do {
-		if (buffer_write_io_error(bh) && page->mapping)
-			mapping_set_error(page->mapping, -EIO);
 		if (buffer_busy(bh))
 			goto failed;
 		bh = bh->b_this_page;
diff --git a/fs/gfs2/lops.c b/fs/gfs2/lops.c
index b1f9144b42c7..cd7857ab1a6a 100644
--- a/fs/gfs2/lops.c
+++ b/fs/gfs2/lops.c
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ static void gfs2_end_log_write_bh(struct gfs2_sbd *sdp, struct bio_vec *bvec,
 		bh = bh->b_this_page;
 	do {
 		if (error)
-			set_buffer_write_io_error(bh);
+			mark_buffer_write_io_error(bh);
 		unlock_buffer(bh);
 		next = bh->b_this_page;
 		size -= bh->b_size;
diff --git a/include/linux/buffer_head.h b/include/linux/buffer_head.h
index bd029e52ef5e..e0abeba3ced7 100644
--- a/include/linux/buffer_head.h
+++ b/include/linux/buffer_head.h
@@ -149,6 +149,7 @@ void buffer_check_dirty_writeback(struct page *page,
  */
 
 void mark_buffer_dirty(struct buffer_head *bh);
+void mark_buffer_write_io_error(struct buffer_head *bh);
 void init_buffer(struct buffer_head *, bh_end_io_t *, void *);
 void touch_buffer(struct buffer_head *bh);
 void set_bh_page(struct buffer_head *bh,