diff --git a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/ptlrpc/service.c b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/ptlrpc/service.c
index 687171102319..87bd63858b1c 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/ptlrpc/service.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/ptlrpc/service.c
@@ -2765,11 +2765,19 @@ int ptlrpc_start_thread(struct ptlrpc_service_part *svcpt, int wait)
 		CERROR("cannot start thread '%s': rc %d\n",
 		       thread->t_name, rc);
 		spin_lock(&svcpt->scp_lock);
-		list_del(&thread->t_link);
 		--svcpt->scp_nthrs_starting;
-		spin_unlock(&svcpt->scp_lock);
-
-		OBD_FREE(thread, sizeof(*thread));
+		if (thread_is_stopping(thread)) {
+			/* this ptlrpc_thread is being hanled
+			 * by ptlrpc_svcpt_stop_threads now
+			 */
+			thread_add_flags(thread, SVC_STOPPED);
+			wake_up(&thread->t_ctl_waitq);
+			spin_unlock(&svcpt->scp_lock);
+		} else {
+			list_del(&thread->t_link);
+			spin_unlock(&svcpt->scp_lock);
+			OBD_FREE_PTR(thread);
+		}
 		RETURN(rc);
 	}