diff --git a/tests/unit/autocomplete/autocomplete_core.js b/tests/unit/autocomplete/autocomplete_core.js
index b6dd139e06f..679955d1971 100644
--- a/tests/unit/autocomplete/autocomplete_core.js
+++ b/tests/unit/autocomplete/autocomplete_core.js
@@ -192,6 +192,34 @@ asyncTest( "handle race condition", function() {
 	}
 });
 
+asyncTest( "simultaneous searches (#9334)", function() {
+	expect( 2 );
+	var element = $( "#autocomplete" ).autocomplete({
+			source: function( request, response ) {
+				setTimeout(function() {
+					response([ request.term ]);
+				});
+			},
+			response: function() {
+				ok( true, "response from first instance" );
+			}
+		}),
+		element2 = $( "#autocomplete-textarea" ).autocomplete({
+			source: function( request, response ) {
+				setTimeout(function() {
+					response([ request.term ]);
+				});
+			},
+			response: function() {
+				ok( true, "response from second instance" );
+				start();
+			}
+		});
+
+	element.autocomplete( "search", "test" );
+	element2.autocomplete( "search", "test" );
+});
+
 test( "ARIA", function() {
 	expect( 7 );
 	var element = $( "#autocomplete" ).autocomplete({
diff --git a/ui/jquery.ui.autocomplete.js b/ui/jquery.ui.autocomplete.js
index 5dea7128783..1f318078fcd 100644
--- a/ui/jquery.ui.autocomplete.js
+++ b/ui/jquery.ui.autocomplete.js
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ $.widget( "ui.autocomplete", {
 		select: null
 	},
 
+	requestIndex: 0,
 	pending: 0,
 
 	_create: function() {
@@ -415,24 +416,20 @@ $.widget( "ui.autocomplete", {
 		this.source( { term: value }, this._response() );
 	},
 
-	_response: (function() {
-		var requestIndex = 0;
+	_response: function() {
+		var index = ++this.requestIndex;
 
-		return function() {
-			var index = ++requestIndex;
-
-			return $.proxy(function( content ) {
-				if ( index === requestIndex ) {
-					this.__response( content );
-				}
+		return $.proxy(function( content ) {
+			if ( index === this.requestIndex ) {
+				this.__response( content );
+			}
 
-				this.pending--;
-				if ( !this.pending ) {
-					this.element.removeClass( "ui-autocomplete-loading" );
-				}
-			}, this );
-		};
-	})(),
+			this.pending--;
+			if ( !this.pending ) {
+				this.element.removeClass( "ui-autocomplete-loading" );
+			}
+		}, this );
+	},
 
 	__response: function( content ) {
 		if ( content ) {