diff --git a/lib/nvme/nvme_ctrlr.c b/lib/nvme/nvme_ctrlr.c
index fad4dd67f..524fbb8a7 100644
--- a/lib/nvme/nvme_ctrlr.c
+++ b/lib/nvme/nvme_ctrlr.c
@@ -585,8 +585,6 @@ nvme_ctrlr_set_supported_features(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr)
 void
 nvme_ctrlr_fail(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr, bool hot_remove)
 {
-	int had_lock;
-
 	/*
 	 * Set the flag here and leave the work failure of qpairs to
 	 * spdk_nvme_qpair_process_completions().
@@ -594,36 +592,8 @@ nvme_ctrlr_fail(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr, bool hot_remove)
 	if (hot_remove) {
 		ctrlr->is_removed = true;
 	}
-
-	/*
-	 * Return if we have already set the state to failed since we
-	 * don't want to call the disconnect callback twice.
-	 */
-	if (ctrlr->is_failed) {
-		return;
-	}
 	ctrlr->is_failed = true;
 	SPDK_ERRLOG("ctrlr %s in failed state.\n", ctrlr->trid.traddr);
-
-	if (ctrlr->remove_cb == NULL) {
-		return;
-	}
-
-	/*
-	 * In the pcie hotplug case, this function may be called with the
-	 * global driver lock. In that case, we want to make sure that we
-	 * release it before calling the remove callback and restore the
-	 * old state afterwards.
-	 * robust locks return EPERM if we try to unlock a lock we
-	 * aren't holding.
-	 */
-	had_lock = (nvme_robust_mutex_unlock(&g_spdk_nvme_driver->lock) == 0);
-
-	ctrlr->remove_cb(ctrlr->cb_ctx, ctrlr);
-
-	if (had_lock) {
-		nvme_robust_mutex_lock(&g_spdk_nvme_driver->lock);
-	}
 }
 
 static void
diff --git a/lib/nvme/nvme_pcie.c b/lib/nvme/nvme_pcie.c
index 91a598acf..d830e4af5 100644
--- a/lib/nvme/nvme_pcie.c
+++ b/lib/nvme/nvme_pcie.c
@@ -296,8 +296,14 @@ _nvme_pcie_hotplug_monitor(struct spdk_nvme_probe_ctx *probe_ctx)
 				SPDK_DEBUGLOG(SPDK_LOG_NVME, "remove nvme address: %s\n",
 					      event.traddr);
 
-				/* get the user app to clean up and stop I/O. */
 				nvme_ctrlr_fail(ctrlr, true);
+
+				/* get the user app to clean up and stop I/O */
+				if (ctrlr->remove_cb) {
+					nvme_robust_mutex_unlock(&g_spdk_nvme_driver->lock);
+					ctrlr->remove_cb(probe_ctx->cb_ctx, ctrlr);
+					nvme_robust_mutex_lock(&g_spdk_nvme_driver->lock);
+				}
 			}
 		}
 	}
@@ -325,6 +331,11 @@ _nvme_pcie_hotplug_monitor(struct spdk_nvme_probe_ctx *probe_ctx)
 
 		if (do_remove) {
 			nvme_ctrlr_fail(ctrlr, true);
+			if (ctrlr->remove_cb) {
+				nvme_robust_mutex_unlock(&g_spdk_nvme_driver->lock);
+				ctrlr->remove_cb(probe_ctx->cb_ctx, ctrlr);
+				nvme_robust_mutex_lock(&g_spdk_nvme_driver->lock);
+			}
 		}
 	}
 	return 0;