diff --git a/drivers/bmx280/bmx280.c b/drivers/bmx280/bmx280.c
index 568fcfe64a..d662dcbf12 100644
--- a/drivers/bmx280/bmx280.c
+++ b/drivers/bmx280/bmx280.c
@@ -255,6 +255,7 @@ int bmx280_init(bmx280_t *dev, const bmx280_params_t *params)
     /* test the connection to the device by reading and verifying its chip ID */
     if (_read_reg(dev, BMX280_CHIP_ID_REG, &reg) != BMX280_OK) {
         DEBUG("[bmx280] error: unable to read chip ID from device\n");
+        _release(dev);
         return BMX280_ERR_NODEV;
     }
     if (reg != BMX280_CHIP_ID_VAL) {