Similar problem here with LiteOn drive. No issue with reading discs but burning would cause the system to freeze. disc burning on the same system was working fine with Dapper and Edgy.

ubuntu feisty installed on disc.
LiteOn Drive.
Package: linux-image-2.6.20-16-generic

/var/log/kernel:
Jul  9 16:55:10 hanhi kernel: [  613.356000] UDF-fs: Partition marked readonly; forcing readonly mount
Jul  9 16:55:10 hanhi kernel: [  613.376000] UDF-fs INFO UDF 0.9.8.1 (2004/29/09) Mounting volume 'VVID_PBN88D1', timestamp 2007/07/06 11:42 (1f10)
Jul  9 16:59:58 hanhi kernel: [  901.484000] cdrom: This disc doesn't have any tracks I recognize!
Jul  9 17:23:07 hanhi kernel: [ 2290.012000] cdrom: This disc doesn't have any tracks I recognize!
Jul  9 17:39:10 hanhi kernel: [ 3252.980000] cdrom: This disc doesn't have any tracks I recognize!
Jul  9 17:55:53 hanhi kernel: [ 4256.048000] cdrom: This disc doesn't have any tracks I recognize!
Jul  9 17:56:58 hanhi kernel: [ 4320.668000] hdd: DMA timeout retry
Jul  9 17:56:58 hanhi kernel: [ 4320.668000] hdd: timeout waiting for DMA
Jul  9 17:57:03 hanhi kernel: [ 4325.672000] hdd: status timeout: status=0xd0 { Busy }
Jul  9 17:57:03 hanhi kernel: [ 4325.672000] ide: failed opcode was: unknown
Jul  9 17:57:03 hanhi kernel: [ 4325.672000] hdd: drive not ready for command
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000] BUG: soft lockup detected on CPU#0!
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [softlockup_tick+156/240] softlockup_tick+0x9c/0xf0
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [update_process_times+51/128] update_process_times+0x33/0x80
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [smp_apic_timer_interrupt+112/128] smp_apic_timer_interrupt+0x70/0x80
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [apic_timer_interrupt+40/48] apic_timer_interrupt+0x28/0x30
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [ide_inb+3/16] ide_inb+0x3/0x10
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [ide_wait_stat+240/320] ide_wait_stat+0xf0/0x140
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [ide_do_request+769/2528] ide_do_request+0x301/0x9e0
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [unmask_IO_APIC_irq+31/64] unmask_IO_APIC_irq+0x1f/0x40
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [default_enable+18/32] default_enable+0x12/0x20
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [check_irq_resend+29/112] check_irq_resend+0x1d/0x70
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [enable_irq+197/208] enable_irq+0xc5/0xd0
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [__ide_dma_end+91/144] __ide_dma_end+0x5b/0x90
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [__ide_dma_host_off+71/96] __ide_dma_host_off+0x47/0x60
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [ide_timer_expiry+201/704] ide_timer_expiry+0xc9/0x2c0
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [ide_timer_expiry+0/704] ide_timer_expiry+0x0/0x2c0
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [run_timer_softirq+303/416] run_timer_softirq+0x12f/0x1a0
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [timer_interrupt+89/176] timer_interrupt+0x59/0xb0
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [__do_softirq+130/256] __do_softirq+0x82/0x100
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [do_softirq+85/96] do_softirq+0x55/0x60
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [smp_apic_timer_interrupt+117/128] smp_apic_timer_interrupt+0x75/0x80
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [apic_timer_interrupt+40/48] apic_timer_interrupt+0x28/0x30
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [default_idle+0/96] default_idle+0x0/0x60
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [native_safe_halt+2/16] native_safe_halt+0x2/0x10
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [default_idle+61/96] default_idle+0x3d/0x60
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [cpu_idle+73/208] cpu_idle+0x49/0xd0
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [start_kernel+869/1056] start_kernel+0x365/0x420
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  [unknown_bootoption+0/608] unknown_bootoption+0x0/0x260
Jul  9 17:57:07 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.408000]  =======================
Jul  9 17:57:08 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.676000] hdd: status timeout: status=0xd0 { Busy }
Jul  9 17:57:08 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.676000] ide: failed opcode was: unknown
Jul  9 17:57:08 hanhi kernel: [ 4330.676000] hdd: drive not ready for command
Jul  9 17:57:13 hanhi kernel: [ 4335.680000] hdd: status timeout: status=0xd0 { Busy }
Jul  9 17:57:13 hanhi kernel: [ 4335.680000] ide: failed opcode was: unknown
Jul  9 17:57:13 hanhi kernel: [ 4335.680000] hdd: drive not ready for command
Jul  9 17:57:18 hanhi kernel: [ 4340.684000] hdd: status timeout: status=0xd0 { Busy }
Jul  9 17:57:18 hanhi kernel: [ 4340.684000] ide: failed opcode was: unknown
Jul  9 17:57:18 hanhi kernel: [ 4340.684000] hdd: drive not ready for command
Jul  9 17:57:23 hanhi kernel: [ 4345.688000] hdd: status timeout: status=0xd0 { Busy }
Jul  9 17:57:23 hanhi kernel: [ 4345.688000] ide: failed opcode was: unknown
...
Jul  9 18:01:23 hanhi kernel: [ 4585.880000] ide: failed opcode was: unknown
Jul  9 18:01:23 hanhi kernel: [ 4585.880000] hdd: drive not ready for command
Jul  9 18:01:28 hanhi kernel: [ 4590.884000] hdd: status timeout: status=0xd0 { Busy }
Jul  9 18:01:28 hanhi kernel: [ 4590.884000] ide: failed opcode was: unknown
Jul  9 18:01:28 hanhi kernel: [ 4590.884000] hdd: drive not ready for command
Jul  9 18:03:42 hanhi kernel: Inspecting /boot/System.map-2.6.20-16-generic
Jul  9 18:03:42 hanhi kernel: Loaded 24977 symbols from /boot/System.map-2.6.20-16-generic.
Jul  9 18:03:42 hanhi kernel: Symbols match kernel version 2.6.20.