diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/ttm/ttm_bo_util.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/ttm/ttm_bo_util.c
index f2c167702eef..897c799832f6 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/ttm/ttm_bo_util.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/ttm/ttm_bo_util.c
@@ -492,8 +492,9 @@ static int ttm_buffer_object_transfer(struct ttm_buffer_object *bo,
 	if (!fbo)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 
+	ttm_bo_get(bo);
 	fbo->base = *bo;
-	fbo->bo = ttm_bo_reference(bo);
+	fbo->bo = bo;
 
 	/**
 	 * Fix up members that we shouldn't copy directly:
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/ttm/ttm_bo_vm.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/ttm/ttm_bo_vm.c
index 0ca0ec47334e..9eaca0acb650 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/ttm/ttm_bo_vm.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/ttm/ttm_bo_vm.c
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ static vm_fault_t ttm_bo_vm_fault_idle(struct ttm_buffer_object *bo,
 		if (vmf->flags & FAULT_FLAG_RETRY_NOWAIT)
 			goto out_unlock;
 
-		ttm_bo_reference(bo);
+		ttm_bo_get(bo);
 		up_read(&vmf->vma->vm_mm->mmap_sem);
 		(void) dma_fence_wait(bo->moving, true);
 		ttm_bo_unreserve(bo);
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ static vm_fault_t ttm_bo_vm_fault(struct vm_fault *vmf)
 
 		if (vmf->flags & FAULT_FLAG_ALLOW_RETRY) {
 			if (!(vmf->flags & FAULT_FLAG_RETRY_NOWAIT)) {
-				ttm_bo_reference(bo);
+				ttm_bo_get(bo);
 				up_read(&vmf->vma->vm_mm->mmap_sem);
 				(void) ttm_bo_wait_unreserved(bo);
 				ttm_bo_unref(&bo);
@@ -302,7 +302,7 @@ static void ttm_bo_vm_open(struct vm_area_struct *vma)
 
 	WARN_ON(bo->bdev->dev_mapping != vma->vm_file->f_mapping);
 
-	(void)ttm_bo_reference(bo);
+	ttm_bo_get(bo);
 }
 
 static void ttm_bo_vm_close(struct vm_area_struct *vma)
@@ -471,8 +471,10 @@ int ttm_fbdev_mmap(struct vm_area_struct *vma, struct ttm_buffer_object *bo)
 	if (vma->vm_pgoff != 0)
 		return -EACCES;
 
+	ttm_bo_get(bo);
+
 	vma->vm_ops = &ttm_bo_vm_ops;
-	vma->vm_private_data = ttm_bo_reference(bo);
+	vma->vm_private_data = bo;
 	vma->vm_flags |= VM_MIXEDMAP;
 	vma->vm_flags |= VM_IO | VM_DONTEXPAND;
 	return 0;