diff --git a/drivers/acpi/thermal.c b/drivers/acpi/thermal.c
index d62bf6df78f812c1ec2a5a3754011d5419dfd8ad..0bc5c920bf63a24e34ce6ed340d0ba501ca176b7 100644
--- a/drivers/acpi/thermal.c
+++ b/drivers/acpi/thermal.c
@@ -809,6 +809,32 @@ static struct thermal_zone_device_ops acpi_thermal_zone_ops = {
 	.notify = thermal_notify,
 };
 
+static int acpi_thermal_zone_sysfs_add(struct acpi_thermal *tz)
+{
+	struct device *tzdev = thermal_zone_device(tz->thermal_zone);
+	int ret;
+
+	ret = sysfs_create_link(&tz->device->dev.kobj,
+				&tzdev->kobj, "thermal_zone");
+	if (ret)
+		return ret;
+
+	ret = sysfs_create_link(&tzdev->kobj,
+				   &tz->device->dev.kobj, "device");
+	if (ret)
+		sysfs_remove_link(&tz->device->dev.kobj, "thermal_zone");
+
+	return ret;
+}
+
+static void acpi_thermal_zone_sysfs_remove(struct acpi_thermal *tz)
+{
+	struct device *tzdev = thermal_zone_device(tz->thermal_zone);
+
+	sysfs_remove_link(&tz->device->dev.kobj, "thermal_zone");
+	sysfs_remove_link(&tzdev->kobj, "device");
+}
+
 static int acpi_thermal_register_thermal_zone(struct acpi_thermal *tz)
 {
 	int trips = 0;
@@ -842,21 +868,15 @@ static int acpi_thermal_register_thermal_zone(struct acpi_thermal *tz)
 	if (IS_ERR(tz->thermal_zone))
 		return -ENODEV;
 
-	result = sysfs_create_link(&tz->device->dev.kobj,
-				   &tz->thermal_zone->device.kobj, "thermal_zone");
+	result = acpi_thermal_zone_sysfs_add(tz);
 	if (result)
 		goto unregister_tzd;
 
-	result = sysfs_create_link(&tz->thermal_zone->device.kobj,
-				   &tz->device->dev.kobj, "device");
-	if (result)
-		goto remove_tz_link;
-
 	status =  acpi_bus_attach_private_data(tz->device->handle,
 					       tz->thermal_zone);
 	if (ACPI_FAILURE(status)) {
 		result = -ENODEV;
-		goto remove_dev_link;
+		goto remove_links;
 	}
 
 	result = thermal_zone_device_enable(tz->thermal_zone);
@@ -870,10 +890,8 @@ static int acpi_thermal_register_thermal_zone(struct acpi_thermal *tz)
 
 acpi_bus_detach:
 	acpi_bus_detach_private_data(tz->device->handle);
-remove_dev_link:
-	sysfs_remove_link(&tz->thermal_zone->device.kobj, "device");
-remove_tz_link:
-	sysfs_remove_link(&tz->device->dev.kobj, "thermal_zone");
+remove_links:
+	acpi_thermal_zone_sysfs_remove(tz);
 unregister_tzd:
 	thermal_zone_device_unregister(tz->thermal_zone);
 
@@ -882,8 +900,7 @@ static int acpi_thermal_register_thermal_zone(struct acpi_thermal *tz)
 
 static void acpi_thermal_unregister_thermal_zone(struct acpi_thermal *tz)
 {
-	sysfs_remove_link(&tz->device->dev.kobj, "thermal_zone");
-	sysfs_remove_link(&tz->thermal_zone->device.kobj, "device");
+	acpi_thermal_zone_sysfs_remove(tz);
 	thermal_zone_device_unregister(tz->thermal_zone);
 	tz->thermal_zone = NULL;
 	acpi_bus_detach_private_data(tz->device->handle);
diff --git a/drivers/thermal/thermal_core.c b/drivers/thermal/thermal_core.c
index 49e3cb07ae9e82e364284cae22349963af0c400c..93cdceddc94ccacb617f861b873c3e877ab078e6 100644
--- a/drivers/thermal/thermal_core.c
+++ b/drivers/thermal/thermal_core.c
@@ -1522,6 +1522,12 @@ thermal_zone_device_register(const char *type, int trips, int mask,
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(thermal_zone_device_register);
 
+struct device *thermal_zone_device(struct thermal_zone_device *tzd)
+{
+	return &tzd->device;
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(thermal_zone_device);
+
 /**
  * thermal_zone_device_unregister - removes the registered thermal zone device
  * @tz: the thermal zone device to remove
diff --git a/include/linux/thermal.h b/include/linux/thermal.h
index 7097d4dcfdd078612afa64240c9fbf54f83e896e..6a7167a0af4d19d96e51d2f2f4fcaa1bd40fa2fa 100644
--- a/include/linux/thermal.h
+++ b/include/linux/thermal.h
@@ -370,6 +370,8 @@ struct thermal_zone_device *thermal_zone_device_register(const char *, int, int,
 		struct thermal_zone_params *, int, int);
 void thermal_zone_device_unregister(struct thermal_zone_device *);
 
+struct device *thermal_zone_device(struct thermal_zone_device *tzd);
+
 int thermal_zone_bind_cooling_device(struct thermal_zone_device *, int,
 				     struct thermal_cooling_device *,
 				     unsigned long, unsigned long,