diff --git a/sound/hda/hdac_device.c b/sound/hda/hdac_device.c
index 4769f4c03e14..11050bfd8068 100644
--- a/sound/hda/hdac_device.c
+++ b/sound/hda/hdac_device.c
@@ -399,27 +399,33 @@ static void setup_fg_nodes(struct hdac_device *codec)
 int snd_hdac_refresh_widgets(struct hdac_device *codec, bool sysfs)
 {
 	hda_nid_t start_nid;
-	int nums, err;
+	int nums, err = 0;
 
+	/*
+	 * Serialize against multiple threads trying to update the sysfs
+	 * widgets array.
+	 */
+	mutex_lock(&codec->widget_lock);
 	nums = snd_hdac_get_sub_nodes(codec, codec->afg, &start_nid);
 	if (!start_nid || nums <= 0 || nums >= 0xff) {
 		dev_err(&codec->dev, "cannot read sub nodes for FG 0x%02x\n",
 			codec->afg);
-		return -EINVAL;
+		err = -EINVAL;
+		goto unlock;
 	}
 
 	if (sysfs) {
-		mutex_lock(&codec->widget_lock);
 		err = hda_widget_sysfs_reinit(codec, start_nid, nums);
-		mutex_unlock(&codec->widget_lock);
 		if (err < 0)
-			return err;
+			goto unlock;
 	}
 
 	codec->num_nodes = nums;
 	codec->start_nid = start_nid;
 	codec->end_nid = start_nid + nums;
-	return 0;
+unlock:
+	mutex_unlock(&codec->widget_lock);
+	return err;
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(snd_hdac_refresh_widgets);