diff --git a/block/blk-mq.c b/block/blk-mq.c
index e68b71b85a7e..594eea04266e 100644
--- a/block/blk-mq.c
+++ b/block/blk-mq.c
@@ -1600,6 +1600,7 @@ static int blk_mq_hctx_notify(void *data, unsigned long action,
 	return NOTIFY_OK;
 }
 
+/* hctx->ctxs will be freed in queue's release handler */
 static void blk_mq_exit_hctx(struct request_queue *q,
 		struct blk_mq_tag_set *set,
 		struct blk_mq_hw_ctx *hctx, unsigned int hctx_idx)
@@ -1618,7 +1619,6 @@ static void blk_mq_exit_hctx(struct request_queue *q,
 
 	blk_mq_unregister_cpu_notifier(&hctx->cpu_notifier);
 	blk_free_flush_queue(hctx->fq);
-	kfree(hctx->ctxs);
 	blk_mq_free_bitmap(&hctx->ctx_map);
 }
 
@@ -1891,8 +1891,12 @@ void blk_mq_release(struct request_queue *q)
 	unsigned int i;
 
 	/* hctx kobj stays in hctx */
-	queue_for_each_hw_ctx(q, hctx, i)
+	queue_for_each_hw_ctx(q, hctx, i) {
+		if (!hctx)
+			continue;
+		kfree(hctx->ctxs);
 		kfree(hctx);
+	}
 
 	kfree(q->queue_hw_ctx);