diff --git a/tools/perf/arch/powerpc/util/auxtrace.c b/tools/perf/arch/powerpc/util/auxtrace.c
index e39deff6c857..4600a1661b4f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/arch/powerpc/util/auxtrace.c
+++ b/tools/perf/arch/powerpc/util/auxtrace.c
@@ -71,6 +71,12 @@ struct auxtrace_record *auxtrace_record__init(struct evlist *evlist,
 	struct evsel *pos;
 	int found = 0;
 
+	/*
+	 * Set err value to zero here. Any fail later
+	 * will set appropriate return code to err.
+	 */
+	*err = 0;
+
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, pos) {
 		if (strstarts(pos->name, "vpa_dtl")) {
 			found = 1;
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
index cc601796b2c8..4a30688699d5 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
@@ -866,6 +866,7 @@ static int record__auxtrace_init(struct record *rec)
 	}
 
 	if (!rec->itr) {
+		err = -EINVAL;
 		rec->itr = auxtrace_record__init(rec->evlist, &err);
 		if (err)
 			return err;