diff --git a/drivers/dma/of-dma.c b/drivers/dma/of-dma.c
index ec00b20ae8e4c..ac61ecda29261 100644
--- a/drivers/dma/of-dma.c
+++ b/drivers/dma/of-dma.c
@@ -67,8 +67,12 @@ static struct dma_chan *of_dma_router_xlate(struct of_phandle_args *dma_spec,
 		return NULL;
 
 	ofdma_target = of_dma_find_controller(&dma_spec_target);
-	if (!ofdma_target)
-		return NULL;
+	if (!ofdma_target) {
+		ofdma->dma_router->route_free(ofdma->dma_router->dev,
+					      route_data);
+		chan = ERR_PTR(-EPROBE_DEFER);
+		goto err;
+	}
 
 	chan = ofdma_target->of_dma_xlate(&dma_spec_target, ofdma_target);
 	if (IS_ERR_OR_NULL(chan)) {
@@ -89,6 +93,7 @@ static struct dma_chan *of_dma_router_xlate(struct of_phandle_args *dma_spec,
 		}
 	}
 
+err:
 	/*
 	 * Need to put the node back since the ofdma->of_dma_route_allocate
 	 * has taken it for generating the new, translated dma_spec