diff --git a/arch/mips/boot/compressed/Makefile b/arch/mips/boot/compressed/Makefile
index ad31c76c7a29..2f77e250b91d 100644
--- a/arch/mips/boot/compressed/Makefile
+++ b/arch/mips/boot/compressed/Makefile
@@ -29,6 +29,9 @@ KBUILD_AFLAGS := $(LINUXINCLUDE) $(KBUILD_AFLAGS) -D__ASSEMBLY__ \
 	-DBOOT_HEAP_SIZE=$(BOOT_HEAP_SIZE) \
 	-DKERNEL_ENTRY=$(VMLINUX_ENTRY_ADDRESS)
 
+# Prevents link failures: __sanitizer_cov_trace_pc() is not linked in.
+KCOV_INSTRUMENT		:= n
+
 # decompressor objects (linked with vmlinuz)
 vmlinuzobjs-y := $(obj)/head.o $(obj)/decompress.o $(obj)/string.o