diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 1d8d4b2c1da72b..09153bd3bc5d5e 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
 VERSION = 6
 PATCHLEVEL = 18
-SUBLEVEL = 11
+SUBLEVEL = 12
 EXTRAVERSION =
 NAME = Baby Opossum Posse
 
diff --git a/drivers/base/base.h b/drivers/base/base.h
index 30459906987e00..86fa7fbb354891 100644
--- a/drivers/base/base.h
+++ b/drivers/base/base.h
@@ -166,18 +166,9 @@ void device_set_deferred_probe_reason(const struct device *dev, struct va_format
 static inline int driver_match_device(const struct device_driver *drv,
 				      struct device *dev)
 {
-	device_lock_assert(dev);
-
 	return drv->bus->match ? drv->bus->match(dev, drv) : 1;
 }
 
-static inline int driver_match_device_locked(const struct device_driver *drv,
-					     struct device *dev)
-{
-	guard(device)(dev);
-	return driver_match_device(drv, dev);
-}
-
 static inline void dev_sync_state(struct device *dev)
 {
 	if (dev->bus->sync_state)
diff --git a/drivers/base/bus.c b/drivers/base/bus.c
index 999d371bbf3501..5e75e1bce5516d 100644
--- a/drivers/base/bus.c
+++ b/drivers/base/bus.c
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@ static ssize_t bind_store(struct device_driver *drv, const char *buf,
 	int err = -ENODEV;
 
 	dev = bus_find_device_by_name(bus, NULL, buf);
-	if (dev && driver_match_device_locked(drv, dev)) {
+	if (dev && driver_match_device(drv, dev)) {
 		err = device_driver_attach(drv, dev);
 		if (!err) {
 			/* success */
diff --git a/drivers/base/dd.c b/drivers/base/dd.c
index b6b9132e1f94f0..13ab98e033eaa1 100644
--- a/drivers/base/dd.c
+++ b/drivers/base/dd.c
@@ -1170,7 +1170,7 @@ static int __driver_attach(struct device *dev, void *data)
 	 * is an error.
 	 */
 
-	ret = driver_match_device_locked(drv, dev);
+	ret = driver_match_device(drv, dev);
 	if (ret == 0) {
 		/* no match */
 		return 0;