diff --git a/drivers/pinctrl/pinmux.c b/drivers/pinctrl/pinmux.c
index 97e8af88df851bfcc9432d64c13aeeeeac43cb6a..ab853d6c586b608abab87e62a203efad844ee598 100644
--- a/drivers/pinctrl/pinmux.c
+++ b/drivers/pinctrl/pinmux.c
@@ -238,18 +238,7 @@ static const char *pin_free(struct pinctrl_dev *pctldev, int pin,
 			if (desc->mux_usecount)
 				return NULL;
 		}
-	}
-
-	/*
-	 * If there is no kind of request function for the pin we just assume
-	 * we got it by default and proceed.
-	 */
-	if (gpio_range && ops->gpio_disable_free)
-		ops->gpio_disable_free(pctldev, gpio_range, pin);
-	else if (ops->free)
-		ops->free(pctldev, pin);
 
-	scoped_guard(mutex, &desc->mux_lock) {
 		if (gpio_range) {
 			owner = desc->gpio_owner;
 			desc->gpio_owner = NULL;
@@ -260,6 +249,15 @@ static const char *pin_free(struct pinctrl_dev *pctldev, int pin,
 		}
 	}
 
+	/*
+	 * If there is no kind of request function for the pin we just assume
+	 * we got it by default and proceed.
+	 */
+	if (gpio_range && ops->gpio_disable_free)
+		ops->gpio_disable_free(pctldev, gpio_range, pin);
+	else if (ops->free)
+		ops->free(pctldev, pin);
+
 	module_put(pctldev->owner);
 
 	return owner;