diff --git a/drivers/nvme/host/core.c b/drivers/nvme/host/core.c
index e0d3f0aa25da..11779be42186 100644
--- a/drivers/nvme/host/core.c
+++ b/drivers/nvme/host/core.c
@@ -609,6 +609,7 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_NS_GPL(nvme_put_ns, NVME_TARGET_PASSTHRU);
 
 static inline void nvme_clear_nvme_request(struct request *req)
 {
+	nvme_req(req)->status = 0;
 	nvme_req(req)->retries = 0;
 	nvme_req(req)->flags = 0;
 	req->rq_flags |= RQF_DONTPREP;
@@ -1031,6 +1032,25 @@ blk_status_t nvme_setup_cmd(struct nvme_ns *ns, struct request *req)
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(nvme_setup_cmd);
 
+/*
+ * Return values:
+ * 0:  success
+ * >0: nvme controller's cqe status response
+ * <0: kernel error in lieu of controller response
+ */
+static int nvme_execute_rq(struct gendisk *disk, struct request *rq,
+		bool at_head)
+{
+	blk_status_t status;
+
+	status = blk_execute_rq(disk, rq, at_head);
+	if (nvme_req(rq)->flags & NVME_REQ_CANCELLED)
+		return -EINTR;
+	if (nvme_req(rq)->status)
+		return nvme_req(rq)->status;
+	return blk_status_to_errno(status);
+}
+
 /*
  * Returns 0 on success.  If the result is negative, it's a Linux error code;
  * if the result is positive, it's an NVM Express status code
@@ -1059,13 +1079,9 @@ int __nvme_submit_sync_cmd(struct request_queue *q, struct nvme_command *cmd,
 			goto out;
 	}
 
-	blk_execute_rq(NULL, req, at_head);
-	if (result)
+	ret = nvme_execute_rq(NULL, req, at_head);
+	if (result && ret >= 0)
 		*result = nvme_req(req)->result;
-	if (nvme_req(req)->flags & NVME_REQ_CANCELLED)
-		ret = -EINTR;
-	else
-		ret = nvme_req(req)->status;
  out:
 	blk_mq_free_request(req);
 	return ret;
@@ -1153,18 +1169,21 @@ static void nvme_passthru_end(struct nvme_ctrl *ctrl, u32 effects)
 	}
 }
 
-void nvme_execute_passthru_rq(struct request *rq)
+int nvme_execute_passthru_rq(struct request *rq)
 {
 	struct nvme_command *cmd = nvme_req(rq)->cmd;
 	struct nvme_ctrl *ctrl = nvme_req(rq)->ctrl;
 	struct nvme_ns *ns = rq->q->queuedata;
 	struct gendisk *disk = ns ? ns->disk : NULL;
 	u32 effects;
+	int  ret;
 
 	effects = nvme_passthru_start(ctrl, ns, cmd->common.opcode);
-	blk_execute_rq(disk, rq, 0);
+	ret = nvme_execute_rq(disk, rq, false);
 	if (effects) /* nothing to be done for zero cmd effects */
 		nvme_passthru_end(ctrl, effects);
+
+	return ret;
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_NS_GPL(nvme_execute_passthru_rq, NVME_TARGET_PASSTHRU);
 
diff --git a/drivers/nvme/host/ioctl.c b/drivers/nvme/host/ioctl.c
index d93928d1e5bd..305ddd415e45 100644
--- a/drivers/nvme/host/ioctl.c
+++ b/drivers/nvme/host/ioctl.c
@@ -93,11 +93,7 @@ static int nvme_submit_user_cmd(struct request_queue *q,
 		}
 	}
 
-	nvme_execute_passthru_rq(req);
-	if (nvme_req(req)->flags & NVME_REQ_CANCELLED)
-		ret = -EINTR;
-	else
-		ret = nvme_req(req)->status;
+	ret = nvme_execute_passthru_rq(req);
 	if (result)
 		*result = le64_to_cpu(nvme_req(req)->result.u64);
 	if (meta && !ret && !write) {
diff --git a/drivers/nvme/host/nvme.h b/drivers/nvme/host/nvme.h
index 3b12ad78ee7a..18ef8dd03a90 100644
--- a/drivers/nvme/host/nvme.h
+++ b/drivers/nvme/host/nvme.h
@@ -876,7 +876,7 @@ static inline bool nvme_ctrl_sgl_supported(struct nvme_ctrl *ctrl)
 
 u32 nvme_command_effects(struct nvme_ctrl *ctrl, struct nvme_ns *ns,
 			 u8 opcode);
-void nvme_execute_passthru_rq(struct request *rq);
+int nvme_execute_passthru_rq(struct request *rq);
 struct nvme_ctrl *nvme_ctrl_from_file(struct file *file);
 struct nvme_ns *nvme_find_get_ns(struct nvme_ctrl *ctrl, unsigned nsid);
 void nvme_put_ns(struct nvme_ns *ns);
diff --git a/drivers/nvme/target/passthru.c b/drivers/nvme/target/passthru.c
index fced52de33ce..225cd1ffbe45 100644
--- a/drivers/nvme/target/passthru.c
+++ b/drivers/nvme/target/passthru.c
@@ -153,11 +153,10 @@ static void nvmet_passthru_execute_cmd_work(struct work_struct *w)
 {
 	struct nvmet_req *req = container_of(w, struct nvmet_req, p.work);
 	struct request *rq = req->p.rq;
-	u16 status;
+	int status;
 
-	nvme_execute_passthru_rq(rq);
+	status = nvme_execute_passthru_rq(rq);
 
-	status = nvme_req(rq)->status;
 	if (status == NVME_SC_SUCCESS &&
 	    req->cmd->common.opcode == nvme_admin_identify) {
 		switch (req->cmd->identify.cns) {
@@ -168,7 +167,8 @@ static void nvmet_passthru_execute_cmd_work(struct work_struct *w)
 			nvmet_passthru_override_id_ns(req);
 			break;
 		}
-	}
+	} else if (status < 0)
+		status = NVME_SC_INTERNAL;
 
 	req->cqe->result = nvme_req(rq)->result;
 	nvmet_req_complete(req, status);