diff --git a/sys/dev/nvme/nvme_ctrlr.c b/sys/dev/nvme/nvme_ctrlr.c
index c3a818f3d637..26fa0f2bfc76 100644
--- a/sys/dev/nvme/nvme_ctrlr.c
+++ b/sys/dev/nvme/nvme_ctrlr.c
@@ -193,8 +193,10 @@ nvme_ctrlr_fail(struct nvme_controller *ctrlr)
 
 	ctrlr->is_failed = TRUE;
 	nvme_qpair_fail(&ctrlr->adminq);
-	for (i = 0; i < ctrlr->num_io_queues; i++)
-		nvme_qpair_fail(&ctrlr->ioq[i]);
+	if (ctrlr->ioq != NULL) {
+		for (i = 0; i < ctrlr->num_io_queues; i++)
+			nvme_qpair_fail(&ctrlr->ioq[i]);
+	}
 	nvme_notify_fail_consumers(ctrlr);
 }
 
@@ -397,7 +399,7 @@ nvme_ctrlr_set_num_qpairs(struct nvme_controller *ctrlr)
 	while (status.done == FALSE)
 		pause("nvme", 1);
 	if (nvme_completion_is_error(&status.cpl)) {
-		nvme_printf(ctrlr, "nvme_set_num_queues failed!\n");
+		nvme_printf(ctrlr, "nvme_ctrlr_set_num_qpairs failed!\n");
 		return (ENXIO);
 	}
 
diff --git a/sys/dev/nvme/nvme_qpair.c b/sys/dev/nvme/nvme_qpair.c
index d7d4c74ade4d..299117128782 100644
--- a/sys/dev/nvme/nvme_qpair.c
+++ b/sys/dev/nvme/nvme_qpair.c
@@ -1000,6 +1000,9 @@ nvme_qpair_fail(struct nvme_qpair *qpair)
 	struct nvme_tracker		*tr;
 	struct nvme_request		*req;
 
+	if (!mtx_initialized(&qpair->lock))
+		return;
+
 	mtx_lock(&qpair->lock);
 
 	while (!STAILQ_EMPTY(&qpair->queued_req)) {