diff --git a/net/ipv6/addrconf.c b/net/ipv6/addrconf.c
index 6a576ff92c39..34ccef18b40e 100644
--- a/net/ipv6/addrconf.c
+++ b/net/ipv6/addrconf.c
@@ -5964,13 +5964,20 @@ static void __ipv6_ifa_notify(int event, struct inet6_ifaddr *ifp)
 	switch (event) {
 	case RTM_NEWADDR:
 		/*
-		 * If the address was optimistic
-		 * we inserted the route at the start of
-		 * our DAD process, so we don't need
-		 * to do it again
+		 * If the address was optimistic we inserted the route at the
+		 * start of our DAD process, so we don't need to do it again.
+		 * If the device was taken down in the middle of the DAD
+		 * cycle there is a race where we could get here without a
+		 * host route, so nothing to insert. That will be fixed when
+		 * the device is brought up.
 		 */
-		if (!rcu_access_pointer(ifp->rt->fib6_node))
+		if (ifp->rt && !rcu_access_pointer(ifp->rt->fib6_node)) {
 			ip6_ins_rt(net, ifp->rt);
+		} else if (!ifp->rt && (ifp->idev->dev->flags & IFF_UP)) {
+			pr_warn("BUG: Address %pI6c on device %s is missing its host route.\n",
+				&ifp->addr, ifp->idev->dev->name);
+		}
+
 		if (ifp->idev->cnf.forwarding)
 			addrconf_join_anycast(ifp);
 		if (!ipv6_addr_any(&ifp->peer_addr))