diff --git a/fs/Makefile b/fs/Makefile
index 38bc735c67ad2ebfe79a4d64d35e6ad01117c8d6..dc20db348679d9f300f68af931b4e9b3a0019752 100644
--- a/fs/Makefile
+++ b/fs/Makefile
@@ -69,10 +69,12 @@ obj-$(CONFIG_DLM)		+= dlm/
 # Do not add any filesystems before this line
 obj-$(CONFIG_REISERFS_FS)	+= reiserfs/
 obj-$(CONFIG_EXT3_FS)		+= ext3/ # Before ext2 so root fs can be ext3
-obj-$(CONFIG_EXT4_FS)		+= ext4/ # Before ext2 so root fs can be ext4
+obj-$(CONFIG_EXT2_FS)		+= ext2/
+# We place ext4 after ext2 so plain ext2 root fs's are mounted using ext2
+# unless explicitly requested by rootfstype
+obj-$(CONFIG_EXT4_FS)		+= ext4/
 obj-$(CONFIG_JBD)		+= jbd/
 obj-$(CONFIG_JBD2)		+= jbd2/
-obj-$(CONFIG_EXT2_FS)		+= ext2/
 obj-$(CONFIG_CRAMFS)		+= cramfs/
 obj-$(CONFIG_SQUASHFS)		+= squashfs/
 obj-y				+= ramfs/