diff --git a/drivers/mmc/core/core.c b/drivers/mmc/core/core.c
index dc9eb013db5fecdcd40ead09fcb2d008f08a3890..d5c176e87951a88282726ceb403296e53d143573 100644
--- a/drivers/mmc/core/core.c
+++ b/drivers/mmc/core/core.c
@@ -185,13 +185,14 @@ void mmc_request_done(struct mmc_host *host, struct mmc_request *mrq)
 
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(mmc_request_done);
 
-static void
-mmc_start_request(struct mmc_host *host, struct mmc_request *mrq)
+static int mmc_start_request(struct mmc_host *host, struct mmc_request *mrq)
 {
 #ifdef CONFIG_MMC_DEBUG
 	unsigned int i, sz;
 	struct scatterlist *sg;
 #endif
+	if (mmc_card_removed(host->card))
+		return -ENOMEDIUM;
 
 	if (mrq->sbc) {
 		pr_debug("<%s: starting CMD%u arg %08x flags %08x>\n",
@@ -251,6 +252,8 @@ mmc_start_request(struct mmc_host *host, struct mmc_request *mrq)
 	mmc_host_clk_hold(host);
 	led_trigger_event(host->led, LED_FULL);
 	host->ops->request(host, mrq);
+
+	return 0;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -345,29 +348,34 @@ static void mmc_wait_done(struct mmc_request *mrq)
  */
 static int __mmc_start_data_req(struct mmc_host *host, struct mmc_request *mrq)
 {
+	int err;
+
 	mrq->done = mmc_wait_data_done;
 	mrq->host = host;
-	if (mmc_card_removed(host->card)) {
-		mrq->cmd->error = -ENOMEDIUM;
+
+	err = mmc_start_request(host, mrq);
+	if (err) {
+		mrq->cmd->error = err;
 		mmc_wait_data_done(mrq);
-		return -ENOMEDIUM;
 	}
-	mmc_start_request(host, mrq);
 
-	return 0;
+	return err;
 }
 
 static int __mmc_start_req(struct mmc_host *host, struct mmc_request *mrq)
 {
+	int err;
+
 	init_completion(&mrq->completion);
 	mrq->done = mmc_wait_done;
-	if (mmc_card_removed(host->card)) {
-		mrq->cmd->error = -ENOMEDIUM;
+
+	err = mmc_start_request(host, mrq);
+	if (err) {
+		mrq->cmd->error = err;
 		complete(&mrq->completion);
-		return -ENOMEDIUM;
 	}
-	mmc_start_request(host, mrq);
-	return 0;
+
+	return err;
 }
 
 /*