diff --git a/fs/ext4/inode.c b/fs/ext4/inode.c
index 63b10ee986d4..57b40308b32b 100644
--- a/fs/ext4/inode.c
+++ b/fs/ext4/inode.c
@@ -4944,13 +4944,6 @@ struct inode *__ext4_iget(struct super_block *sb, unsigned long ino,
 		goto bad_inode;
 	raw_inode = ext4_raw_inode(&iloc);
 
-	if ((ino == EXT4_ROOT_INO) && (raw_inode->i_links_count == 0)) {
-		ext4_error_inode(inode, function, line, 0,
-				 "iget: root inode unallocated");
-		ret = -EFSCORRUPTED;
-		goto bad_inode;
-	}
-
 	if ((flags & EXT4_IGET_HANDLE) &&
 	    (raw_inode->i_links_count == 0) && (raw_inode->i_mode == 0)) {
 		ret = -ESTALE;
@@ -5021,11 +5014,16 @@ struct inode *__ext4_iget(struct super_block *sb, unsigned long ino,
 	 * NeilBrown 1999oct15
 	 */
 	if (inode->i_nlink == 0) {
-		if ((inode->i_mode == 0 ||
+		if ((inode->i_mode == 0 || flags & EXT4_IGET_SPECIAL ||
 		     !(EXT4_SB(inode->i_sb)->s_mount_state & EXT4_ORPHAN_FS)) &&
 		    ino != EXT4_BOOT_LOADER_INO) {
-			/* this inode is deleted */
-			ret = -ESTALE;
+			/* this inode is deleted or unallocated */
+			if (flags & EXT4_IGET_SPECIAL) {
+				ext4_error_inode(inode, function, line, 0,
+						 "iget: special inode unallocated");
+				ret = -EFSCORRUPTED;
+			} else
+				ret = -ESTALE;
 			goto bad_inode;
 		}
 		/* The only unlinked inodes we let through here have