diff --git a/drivers/cpufreq/cpufreq.c b/drivers/cpufreq/cpufreq.c
index 3938c7817095d0747a44045b51cff3c680e6e78a..dab1410d1c0dcb4610f45e4227c132449e4cb507 100644
--- a/drivers/cpufreq/cpufreq.c
+++ b/drivers/cpufreq/cpufreq.c
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ static struct cpufreq_driver *cpufreq_driver;
 static DEFINE_PER_CPU(struct cpufreq_policy *, cpufreq_cpu_data);
 #ifdef CONFIG_HOTPLUG_CPU
 /* This one keeps track of the previously set governor of a removed CPU */
-static DEFINE_PER_CPU(struct cpufreq_governor *, cpufreq_cpu_governor);
+static DEFINE_PER_CPU(char[CPUFREQ_NAME_LEN], cpufreq_cpu_governor);
 #endif
 static DEFINE_SPINLOCK(cpufreq_driver_lock);
 
@@ -774,10 +774,12 @@ int cpufreq_add_dev_policy(unsigned int cpu, struct cpufreq_policy *policy,
 #ifdef CONFIG_SMP
 	unsigned long flags;
 	unsigned int j;
-
 #ifdef CONFIG_HOTPLUG_CPU
-	if (per_cpu(cpufreq_cpu_governor, cpu)) {
-		policy->governor = per_cpu(cpufreq_cpu_governor, cpu);
+	struct cpufreq_governor *gov;
+
+	gov = __find_governor(per_cpu(cpufreq_cpu_governor, cpu));
+	if (gov) {
+		policy->governor = gov;
 		dprintk("Restoring governor %s for cpu %d\n",
 		       policy->governor->name, cpu);
 	}
@@ -1111,7 +1113,8 @@ static int __cpufreq_remove_dev(struct sys_device *sys_dev)
 #ifdef CONFIG_SMP
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_HOTPLUG_CPU
-	per_cpu(cpufreq_cpu_governor, cpu) = data->governor;
+	strncpy(per_cpu(cpufreq_cpu_governor, cpu), data->governor->name,
+			CPUFREQ_NAME_LEN);
 #endif
 
 	/* if we have other CPUs still registered, we need to unlink them,
@@ -1135,7 +1138,8 @@ static int __cpufreq_remove_dev(struct sys_device *sys_dev)
 				continue;
 			dprintk("removing link for cpu %u\n", j);
 #ifdef CONFIG_HOTPLUG_CPU
-			per_cpu(cpufreq_cpu_governor, j) = data->governor;
+			strncpy(per_cpu(cpufreq_cpu_governor, j),
+				data->governor->name, CPUFREQ_NAME_LEN);
 #endif
 			cpu_sys_dev = get_cpu_sysdev(j);
 			sysfs_remove_link(&cpu_sys_dev->kobj, "cpufreq");