diff --git a/gralloc/alloc_device.cpp b/gralloc/alloc_device.cpp
index 3c4531b..6773405 100644
--- a/gralloc/alloc_device.cpp
+++ b/gralloc/alloc_device.cpp
@@ -128,17 +128,19 @@
 			return -1;
 		}
 
+		// we do not need ion_hnd once we have shared_fd
+		if (0 != ion_free(m->ion_client, ion_hnd))
+		{
+			AWAR("ion_free( %d ) failed", m->ion_client);
+		}
+		ion_hnd = ION_INVALID_HANDLE;
+
 		cpu_ptr = (unsigned char *)mmap(NULL, size, PROT_READ | PROT_WRITE, MAP_SHARED, shared_fd, 0);
 
 		if (MAP_FAILED == cpu_ptr)
 		{
 			AERR("ion_map( %d ) failed", m->ion_client);
 
-			if (0 != ion_free(m->ion_client, ion_hnd))
-			{
-				AERR("ion_free( %d ) failed", m->ion_client);
-			}
-
 			close(shared_fd);
 			return -1;
 		}
@@ -148,7 +150,6 @@
 		if (NULL != hnd)
 		{
 			hnd->share_fd = shared_fd;
-			hnd->ion_hnd = ion_hnd;
 			*pHandle = hnd;
 			return 0;
 		}
@@ -165,13 +166,6 @@
 			AERR("munmap failed for base:%p size: %lu", cpu_ptr, (unsigned long)size);
 		}
 
-		ret = ion_free(m->ion_client, ion_hnd);
-
-		if (0 != ret)
-		{
-			AERR("ion_free( %d ) failed", m->ion_client);
-		}
-
 		return -1;
 	}
 #endif
@@ -560,11 +554,6 @@
 
 		close(hnd->share_fd);
 
-		if (0 != ion_free(m->ion_client, hnd->ion_hnd))
-		{
-			AERR("Failed to ion_free( ion_client: %d ion_hnd: %p )", m->ion_client, (void *)(uintptr_t)hnd->ion_hnd);
-		}
-
 		memset((void *)hnd, 0, sizeof(*hnd));
 #else
 		AERR("Can't free dma_buf memory for handle:0x%x. Not supported.", (unsigned int)hnd);
diff --git a/gralloc/gralloc_priv.h b/gralloc/gralloc_priv.h
index b931ac2..547027e 100644
--- a/gralloc/gralloc_priv.h
+++ b/gralloc/gralloc_priv.h
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@
 	int     offset;
 
 #if GRALLOC_ARM_DMA_BUF_MODULE
-	ion_user_handle_t ion_hnd;
+	ion_user_handle_t ion_hnd_UNUSED;
 #endif
 
 #if GRALLOC_ARM_DMA_BUF_MODULE
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@
 		offset(0)
 #if GRALLOC_ARM_DMA_BUF_MODULE
 		,
-		ion_hnd(ION_INVALID_HANDLE)
+		ion_hnd_UNUSED(ION_INVALID_HANDLE)
 #endif
 
 	{
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@
 #endif
 		shallow_fbdev_fd(0),
 		offset(0),
-		ion_hnd(ION_INVALID_HANDLE)
+		ion_hnd_UNUSED(ION_INVALID_HANDLE)
 
 	{
 		version = sizeof(native_handle);
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@
 		offset(fb_offset)
 #if GRALLOC_ARM_DMA_BUF_MODULE
 		,
-		ion_hnd(ION_INVALID_HANDLE)
+		ion_hnd_UNUSED(ION_INVALID_HANDLE)
 #endif
 
 	{