diff -Purp rsyslog-5.8.6/runtime/modules.c rsyslog-5.8.6.mod/runtime/modules.c
--- rsyslog-5.8.6/runtime/modules.c	2011-10-21 11:53:02.000000000 +0200
+++ rsyslog-5.8.6.mod/runtime/modules.c	2011-11-25 19:14:34.491976989 +0100
@@ -74,6 +74,9 @@ DEFobjCurrIf(strgen)
  */
 static pthread_mutex_t mutLoadUnload;
 
+/* mutObjGlobalOp defined in obj.c */
+extern pthread_mutex_t mutObjGlobalOp;
+
 static modInfo_t *pLoadedModules = NULL;	/* list of currently-loaded modules */
 static modInfo_t *pLoadedModulesLast = NULL;	/* tail-pointer */
 
@@ -667,6 +670,9 @@ modUnlinkAndDestroy(modInfo_t **ppThis)
 	pThis = *ppThis;
 	assert(pThis != NULL);
 
+	/* acquire mutObjGlobalOp before &mutLoadUnload to prevent deadlocks */
+	pthread_mutex_lock(&mutObjGlobalOp);
+
 	pthread_mutex_lock(&mutLoadUnload);
 
 	/* first check if we are permitted to unload */
@@ -704,6 +710,10 @@ modUnlinkAndDestroy(modInfo_t **ppThis)
 
 finalize_it:
 	pthread_mutex_unlock(&mutLoadUnload);
+
+	/* release obj lock */
+	pthread_mutex_unlock(&mutObjGlobalOp);
+
 	RETiRet;
 }
 
@@ -779,6 +789,9 @@ Load(uchar *pModName)
 	assert(pModName != NULL);
 	dbgprintf("Requested to load module '%s'\n", pModName);
 
+	/* acquire mutObjGlobalOp before &mutLoadUnload to prevent deadlocks */
+	pthread_mutex_lock(&mutObjGlobalOp);
+
 	pthread_mutex_lock(&mutLoadUnload);
 
 	iModNameLen = strlen((char *) pModName);
@@ -904,6 +917,10 @@ Load(uchar *pModName)
 
 finalize_it:
 	pthread_mutex_unlock(&mutLoadUnload);
+
+	/* release obj lock */
+	pthread_mutex_unlock(&mutObjGlobalOp);
+
 	RETiRet;
 }
 
diff -Purp rsyslog-5.8.6/runtime/obj.c rsyslog-5.8.6.mod/runtime/obj.c
--- rsyslog-5.8.6/runtime/obj.c	2011-10-21 11:53:02.000000000 +0200
+++ rsyslog-5.8.6.mod/runtime/obj.c	2011-11-24 22:26:12.284684402 +0100
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ DEFobjCurrIf(module)
 DEFobjCurrIf(errmsg)
 DEFobjCurrIf(strm)
 static objInfo_t *arrObjInfo[OBJ_NUM_IDS]; /* array with object information pointers */
-static pthread_mutex_t mutObjGlobalOp;	/* mutex to guard global operations of the object system */
+pthread_mutex_t mutObjGlobalOp;	/* mutex to guard global operations of the object system */
 
 
 /* cookies for serialized lines */