diff --git a/module/os/linux/spl/spl-taskq.c b/module/os/linux/spl/spl-taskq.c
index 61631256c8..fb25a41544 100644
--- a/module/os/linux/spl/spl-taskq.c
+++ b/module/os/linux/spl/spl-taskq.c
@@ -1298,8 +1298,10 @@ spl_taskq_expand(unsigned int cpu, struct hlist_node *node)
 	ASSERT(tq);
 	spin_lock_irqsave_nested(&tq->tq_lock, flags, tq->tq_lock_class);
 
-	if (!(tq->tq_flags & TASKQ_ACTIVE))
-		goto out;
+	if (!(tq->tq_flags & TASKQ_ACTIVE)) {
+		spin_unlock_irqrestore(&tq->tq_lock, flags);
+		return (err);
+	}
 
 	ASSERT(tq->tq_flags & TASKQ_THREADS_CPU_PCT);
 	int nthreads = MIN(tq->tq_cpu_pct, 100);
@@ -1308,13 +1310,12 @@ spl_taskq_expand(unsigned int cpu, struct hlist_node *node)
 
 	if (!((tq->tq_flags & TASKQ_DYNAMIC) && spl_taskq_thread_dynamic) &&
 	    tq->tq_maxthreads > tq->tq_nthreads) {
-		ASSERT3U(tq->tq_maxthreads, ==, tq->tq_nthreads + 1);
+		spin_unlock_irqrestore(&tq->tq_lock, flags);
 		taskq_thread_t *tqt = taskq_thread_create(tq);
 		if (tqt == NULL)
 			err = -1;
+		return (err);
 	}
-
-out:
 	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&tq->tq_lock, flags);
 	return (err);
 }