diff --git a/drivers/pps/kapi.c b/drivers/pps/kapi.c
index e8847c1..c42d3cb 100644
--- a/drivers/pps/kapi.c
+++ b/drivers/pps/kapi.c
@@ -27,19 +27,11 @@
 #include <linux/sched.h>
 #include <linux/time.h>
 #include <linux/spinlock.h>
-#include <linux/idr.h>
 #include <linux/fs.h>
 #include <linux/pps_kernel.h>
 #include <linux/slab.h>
 
 /*
- * Local variables
- */
-
-static DEFINE_SPINLOCK(pps_idr_lock);
-static DEFINE_IDR(pps_idr);
-
-/*
  * Local functions
  */
 
@@ -76,7 +68,6 @@
 		int default_params)
 {
 	struct pps_device *pps;
-	int id;
 	int err;
 
 	/* Sanity checks */
@@ -117,54 +108,18 @@
 	init_waitqueue_head(&pps->queue);
 	spin_lock_init(&pps->lock);
 
-	/* Get new ID for the new PPS source */
-	if (idr_pre_get(&pps_idr, GFP_KERNEL) == 0) {
-		err = -ENOMEM;
-		goto kfree_pps;
-	}
-
-	spin_lock_irq(&pps_idr_lock);
-
-	/* Now really allocate the PPS source.
-	 * After idr_get_new() calling the new source will be freely available
-	 * into the kernel.
-	 */
-	err = idr_get_new(&pps_idr, pps, &id);
-	if (err < 0) {
-		spin_unlock_irq(&pps_idr_lock);
-		goto kfree_pps;
-	}
-
-	id = id & MAX_ID_MASK;
-	if (id >= PPS_MAX_SOURCES) {
-		spin_unlock_irq(&pps_idr_lock);
-
-		pr_err("%s: too many PPS sources in the system\n",
-					info->name);
-		err = -EBUSY;
-		goto free_idr;
-	}
-	pps->id = id;
-
-	spin_unlock_irq(&pps_idr_lock);
-
 	/* Create the char device */
 	err = pps_register_cdev(pps);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		pr_err("%s: unable to create char device\n",
 					info->name);
-		goto free_idr;
+		goto kfree_pps;
 	}
 
 	dev_info(pps->dev, "new PPS source %s\n", info->name);
 
 	return pps;
 
-free_idr:
-	spin_lock_irq(&pps_idr_lock);
-	idr_remove(&pps_idr, id);
-	spin_unlock_irq(&pps_idr_lock);
-
 kfree_pps:
 	kfree(pps);
 
@@ -184,15 +139,10 @@
 
 void pps_unregister_source(struct pps_device *pps)
 {
-	unsigned int id = pps->id;
-
 	pps_unregister_cdev(pps);
 
-	spin_lock_irq(&pps_idr_lock);
-	idr_remove(&pps_idr, pps->id);
-	spin_unlock_irq(&pps_idr_lock);
-
-	kfree(pps);
+	/* don't have to kfree(pps) here because it will be done on
+	 * device destruction */
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(pps_unregister_source);
 
diff --git a/drivers/pps/pps.c b/drivers/pps/pps.c
index 9f7c2e8..79b4455 100644
--- a/drivers/pps/pps.c
+++ b/drivers/pps/pps.c
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 #include <linux/cdev.h>
 #include <linux/poll.h>
 #include <linux/pps_kernel.h>
+#include <linux/slab.h>
 
 /*
  * Local variables
@@ -38,6 +39,9 @@
 static dev_t pps_devt;
 static struct class *pps_class;
 
+static DEFINE_SPINLOCK(pps_idr_lock);
+static DEFINE_IDR(pps_idr);
+
 /*
  * Char device methods
  */
@@ -229,11 +233,48 @@
 	.release	= pps_cdev_release,
 };
 
+static void pps_device_destruct(struct device *dev)
+{
+	struct pps_device *pps = dev_get_drvdata(dev);
+
+	/* release id here to protect others from using it while it's
+	 * still in use */
+	spin_lock_irq(&pps_idr_lock);
+	idr_remove(&pps_idr, pps->id);
+	spin_unlock_irq(&pps_idr_lock);
+
+	kfree(dev);
+	kfree(pps);
+}
+
 int pps_register_cdev(struct pps_device *pps)
 {
 	int err;
 	dev_t devt;
 
+	/* Get new ID for the new PPS source */
+	if (idr_pre_get(&pps_idr, GFP_KERNEL) == 0)
+		return -ENOMEM;
+
+	/* Now really allocate the PPS source.
+	 * After idr_get_new() calling the new source will be freely available
+	 * into the kernel.
+	 */
+	spin_lock_irq(&pps_idr_lock);
+	err = idr_get_new(&pps_idr, pps, &pps->id);
+	spin_unlock_irq(&pps_idr_lock);
+
+	if (err < 0)
+		return err;
+
+	pps->id &= MAX_ID_MASK;
+	if (pps->id >= PPS_MAX_SOURCES) {
+		pr_err("%s: too many PPS sources in the system\n",
+					pps->info.name);
+		err = -EBUSY;
+		goto free_idr;
+	}
+
 	devt = MKDEV(MAJOR(pps_devt), pps->id);
 
 	cdev_init(&pps->cdev, &pps_cdev_fops);
@@ -243,13 +284,15 @@
 	if (err) {
 		pr_err("%s: failed to add char device %d:%d\n",
 				pps->info.name, MAJOR(pps_devt), pps->id);
-		return err;
+		goto free_idr;
 	}
 	pps->dev = device_create(pps_class, pps->info.dev, devt, pps,
 							"pps%d", pps->id);
 	if (IS_ERR(pps->dev))
 		goto del_cdev;
 
+	pps->dev->release = pps_device_destruct;
+
 	pr_debug("source %s got cdev (%d:%d)\n", pps->info.name,
 			MAJOR(pps_devt), pps->id);
 
@@ -258,6 +301,11 @@
 del_cdev:
 	cdev_del(&pps->cdev);
 
+free_idr:
+	spin_lock_irq(&pps_idr_lock);
+	idr_remove(&pps_idr, pps->id);
+	spin_unlock_irq(&pps_idr_lock);
+
 	return err;
 }