diff --git a/arch/x86/include/uapi/asm/vmx.h b/arch/x86/include/uapi/asm/vmx.h
index d213ec5c3766..f0b0c90dd398 100644
--- a/arch/x86/include/uapi/asm/vmx.h
+++ b/arch/x86/include/uapi/asm/vmx.h
@@ -146,7 +146,6 @@
 
 #define VMX_ABORT_SAVE_GUEST_MSR_FAIL        1
 #define VMX_ABORT_LOAD_HOST_PDPTE_FAIL       2
-#define VMX_ABORT_VMCS_CORRUPTED             3
 #define VMX_ABORT_LOAD_HOST_MSR_FAIL         4
 
 #endif /* _UAPIVMX_H */
diff --git a/arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c b/arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c
index 118d185764ec..d125304ae2c9 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c
@@ -2978,6 +2978,25 @@ int nested_vmx_enter_non_root_mode(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu, bool from_vmentry)
 		!(vmcs12->vm_entry_controls & VM_ENTRY_LOAD_BNDCFGS))
 		vmx->nested.vmcs01_guest_bndcfgs = vmcs_read64(GUEST_BNDCFGS);
 
+	/*
+	 * Overwrite vmcs01.GUEST_CR3 with L1's CR3 if EPT is disabled *and*
+	 * nested early checks are disabled.  In the event of a "late" VM-Fail,
+	 * i.e. a VM-Fail detected by hardware but not KVM, KVM must unwind its
+	 * software model to the pre-VMEntry host state.  When EPT is disabled,
+	 * GUEST_CR3 holds KVM's shadow CR3, not L1's "real" CR3, which causes
+	 * nested_vmx_restore_host_state() to corrupt vcpu->arch.cr3.  Stuffing
+	 * vmcs01.GUEST_CR3 results in the unwind naturally setting arch.cr3 to
+	 * the correct value.  Smashing vmcs01.GUEST_CR3 is safe because nested
+	 * VM-Exits, and the unwind, reset KVM's MMU, i.e. vmcs01.GUEST_CR3 is
+	 * guaranteed to be overwritten with a shadow CR3 prior to re-entering
+	 * L1.  Don't stuff vmcs01.GUEST_CR3 when using nested early checks as
+	 * KVM modifies vcpu->arch.cr3 if and only if the early hardware checks
+	 * pass, and early VM-Fails do not reset KVM's MMU, i.e. the VM-Fail
+	 * path would need to manually save/restore vmcs01.GUEST_CR3.
+	 */
+	if (!enable_ept && !nested_early_check)
+		vmcs_writel(GUEST_CR3, vcpu->arch.cr3);
+
 	vmx_switch_vmcs(vcpu, &vmx->nested.vmcs02);
 
 	prepare_vmcs02_early(vmx, vmcs12);
@@ -3869,18 +3888,8 @@ static void nested_vmx_restore_host_state(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
 	vmx_set_cr4(vcpu, vmcs_readl(CR4_READ_SHADOW));
 
 	nested_ept_uninit_mmu_context(vcpu);
-
-	/*
-	 * This is only valid if EPT is in use, otherwise the vmcs01 GUEST_CR3
-	 * points to shadow pages!  Fortunately we only get here after a WARN_ON
-	 * if EPT is disabled, so a VMabort is perfectly fine.
-	 */
-	if (enable_ept) {
-		vcpu->arch.cr3 = vmcs_readl(GUEST_CR3);
-		__set_bit(VCPU_EXREG_CR3, (ulong *)&vcpu->arch.regs_avail);
-	} else {
-		nested_vmx_abort(vcpu, VMX_ABORT_VMCS_CORRUPTED);
-	}
+	vcpu->arch.cr3 = vmcs_readl(GUEST_CR3);
+	__set_bit(VCPU_EXREG_CR3, (ulong *)&vcpu->arch.regs_avail);
 
 	/*
 	 * Use ept_save_pdptrs(vcpu) to load the MMU's cached PDPTRs
@@ -3888,7 +3897,8 @@ static void nested_vmx_restore_host_state(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
 	 * VMFail, like everything else we just need to ensure our
 	 * software model is up-to-date.
 	 */
-	ept_save_pdptrs(vcpu);
+	if (enable_ept)
+		ept_save_pdptrs(vcpu);
 
 	kvm_mmu_reset_context(vcpu);
 
@@ -5889,14 +5899,6 @@ __init int nested_vmx_hardware_setup(int (*exit_handlers[])(struct kvm_vcpu *))
 {
 	int i;
 
-	/*
-	 * Without EPT it is not possible to restore L1's CR3 and PDPTR on
-	 * VMfail, because they are not available in vmcs01.  Just always
-	 * use hardware checks.
-	 */
-	if (!enable_ept)
-		nested_early_check = 1;
-
 	if (!cpu_has_vmx_shadow_vmcs())
 		enable_shadow_vmcs = 0;
 	if (enable_shadow_vmcs) {