diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/fs_core.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/fs_core.c
index d181645fd968ee79f10d46266fe1e8cfee1f1664..4536ef76efc2e122810b649318bb8d75b2e30f58 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/fs_core.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/fs_core.c
@@ -469,6 +469,7 @@ static void del_hw_fte(struct fs_node *node)
 			mlx5_core_warn(dev,
 				       "flow steering can't delete fte in index %d of flow group id %d\n",
 				       fte->index, fg->id);
+		node->active = 0;
 	}
 }
 
@@ -1595,6 +1596,11 @@ lookup_fte_locked(struct mlx5_flow_group *g,
 		fte_tmp = NULL;
 		goto out;
 	}
+	if (!fte_tmp->node.active) {
+		tree_put_node(&fte_tmp->node);
+		fte_tmp = NULL;
+		goto out;
+	}
 
 	nested_down_write_ref_node(&fte_tmp->node, FS_LOCK_CHILD);
 out: