int i, j, page, offset, elt;
 
        spin_lock_irqsave(&dev_priv->error_lock, flags);
-       if (!dev_priv->first_error) {
+       error = dev_priv->first_error;
+       if (error)
+               kref_get(&error->ref);
+       spin_unlock_irqrestore(&dev_priv->error_lock, flags);
+
+       if (!error) {
                seq_printf(m, "no error state collected\n");
-               goto out;
+               return 0;
        }
 
-       error = dev_priv->first_error;
 
        seq_printf(m, "Time: %ld s %ld us\n", error->time.tv_sec,
                   error->time.tv_usec);
        if (error->display)
                intel_display_print_error_state(m, dev, error->display);
 
-out:
-       spin_unlock_irqrestore(&dev_priv->error_lock, flags);
+       kref_put(&error->ref, i915_error_state_free);
 
        return 0;
 }
 
 #include <drm/intel-gtt.h>
 #include <linux/backlight.h>
 #include <linux/intel-iommu.h>
+#include <linux/kref.h>
 
 /* General customization:
  */
 struct intel_display_error_state;
 
 struct drm_i915_error_state {
+       struct kref ref;
        u32 eir;
        u32 pgtbl_er;
        u32 ier;
        unsigned int fsb_freq, mem_freq, is_ddr3;
 
        spinlock_t error_lock;
+       /* Protected by dev->error_lock. */
        struct drm_i915_error_state *first_error;
        struct work_struct error_work;
        struct completion error_completion;
 
 extern void intel_irq_init(struct drm_device *dev);
 
+void i915_error_state_free(struct kref *error_ref);
+
 void
 i915_enable_pipestat(drm_i915_private_t *dev_priv, int pipe, u32 mask);
 
 
        kfree(obj);
 }
 
-static void
-i915_error_state_free(struct drm_device *dev,
-                     struct drm_i915_error_state *error)
+void
+i915_error_state_free(struct kref *error_ref)
 {
+       struct drm_i915_error_state *error = container_of(error_ref,
+                                                         typeof(*error), ref);
        int i;
 
        for (i = 0; i < ARRAY_SIZE(error->ring); i++) {
        DRM_INFO("capturing error event; look for more information in /debug/dri/%d/i915_error_state\n",
                 dev->primary->index);
 
+       kref_init(&error->ref);
        error->eir = I915_READ(EIR);
        error->pgtbl_er = I915_READ(PGTBL_ER);
 
        spin_unlock_irqrestore(&dev_priv->error_lock, flags);
 
        if (error)
-               i915_error_state_free(dev, error);
+               i915_error_state_free(&error->ref);
 }
 
 void i915_destroy_error_state(struct drm_device *dev)
        spin_unlock_irqrestore(&dev_priv->error_lock, flags);
 
        if (error)
-               i915_error_state_free(dev, error);
+               kref_put(&error->ref, i915_error_state_free);
 }
 #else
 #define i915_capture_error_state(x)