diff --git a/drivers/nvdimm/nd_virtio.c b/drivers/nvdimm/nd_virtio.c
index 8c0d4347938a..1cf53f75b128 100644
--- a/drivers/nvdimm/nd_virtio.c
+++ b/drivers/nvdimm/nd_virtio.c
@@ -15,6 +15,14 @@ struct virtio_pmem_flush_work {
 	struct bio *bio;
 };
 
+static void virtio_pmem_req_release(struct kref *kref)
+{
+	struct virtio_pmem_request *req;
+
+	req = container_of(kref, struct virtio_pmem_request, kref);
+	kfree(req);
+}
+
 static void virtio_pmem_wake_one_waiter(struct virtio_pmem *vpmem)
 {
 	struct virtio_pmem_request *req_buf;
@@ -42,6 +50,7 @@ void virtio_pmem_host_ack(struct virtqueue *vq)
 		virtio_pmem_wake_one_waiter(vpmem);
 		WRITE_ONCE(req_data->done, true);
 		wake_up(&req_data->host_acked);
+		kref_put(&req_data->kref, virtio_pmem_req_release);
 	}
 	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&vpmem->pmem_lock, flags);
 }
@@ -72,6 +81,7 @@ static int virtio_pmem_flush(struct nd_region *nd_region)
 	if (!req_data)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 
+	kref_init(&req_data->kref);
 	WRITE_ONCE(req_data->done, false);
 	init_waitqueue_head(&req_data->host_acked);
 	init_waitqueue_head(&req_data->wq_buf);
@@ -89,10 +99,23 @@ static int virtio_pmem_flush(struct nd_region *nd_region)
 	  * to req_list and wait for host_ack to wake us up when free
 	  * slots are available.
 	  */
-	while ((err = virtqueue_add_sgs(vpmem->req_vq, sgs, 1, 1, req_data,
-					GFP_ATOMIC)) == -ENOSPC) {
+	for (;;) {
+		err = virtqueue_add_sgs(vpmem->req_vq, sgs, 1, 1, req_data,
+					GFP_ATOMIC);
+		if (!err) {
+			/*
+			 * Take the virtqueue reference while @pmem_lock is
+			 * held so completion cannot run concurrently.
+			 */
+			kref_get(&req_data->kref);
+			break;
+		}
 
-		dev_info(&vdev->dev, "failed to send command to virtio pmem device, no free slots in the virtqueue\n");
+		if (err != -ENOSPC)
+			break;
+
+		dev_info_ratelimited(&vdev->dev,
+				     "failed to send command to virtio pmem device, no free slots in the virtqueue\n");
 		WRITE_ONCE(req_data->wq_buf_avail, false);
 		list_add_tail(&req_data->list, &vpmem->req_list);
 		spin_unlock_irqrestore(&vpmem->pmem_lock, flags);
@@ -101,6 +124,7 @@ static int virtio_pmem_flush(struct nd_region *nd_region)
 		wait_event(req_data->wq_buf, READ_ONCE(req_data->wq_buf_avail));
 		spin_lock_irqsave(&vpmem->pmem_lock, flags);
 	}
+
 	err1 = virtqueue_kick(vpmem->req_vq);
 	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&vpmem->pmem_lock, flags);
 	/*
@@ -116,7 +140,7 @@ static int virtio_pmem_flush(struct nd_region *nd_region)
 		err = le32_to_cpu(req_data->resp.ret);
 	}
 
-	kfree(req_data);
+	kref_put(&req_data->kref, virtio_pmem_req_release);
 	return err;
 };
 
diff --git a/drivers/nvdimm/virtio_pmem.h b/drivers/nvdimm/virtio_pmem.h
index e6dfc10ce076..3af92588bd9d 100644
--- a/drivers/nvdimm/virtio_pmem.h
+++ b/drivers/nvdimm/virtio_pmem.h
@@ -12,12 +12,14 @@
 
 #include <linux/module.h>
 #include <uapi/linux/virtio_pmem.h>
+#include <linux/kref.h>
 #include <linux/libnvdimm.h>
 #include <linux/mutex.h>
 #include <linux/spinlock.h>
 #include <linux/workqueue.h>
 
 struct virtio_pmem_request {
+	struct kref kref;
 	struct virtio_pmem_req req;
 	struct virtio_pmem_resp resp;