diff --git a/sys/netinet6/in6.c b/sys/netinet6/in6.c
--- a/sys/netinet6/in6.c
+++ b/sys/netinet6/in6.c
@@ -2604,8 +2604,6 @@
 	COUNTER_ARRAY_ALLOC(ext->icmp6_ifstat,
 	    sizeof(struct icmp6_ifstat) / sizeof(uint64_t), M_WAITOK);
 
-	ext->dad_failures = counter_u64_alloc(M_WAITOK);
-
 	ext->nd_ifinfo = nd6_ifattach(ifp);
 	ext->scope6_id = scope6_ifattach(ifp);
 	ext->lltable = in6_lltattach(ifp);
@@ -2641,7 +2639,6 @@
 	COUNTER_ARRAY_FREE(ext->icmp6_ifstat,
 	    sizeof(struct icmp6_ifstat) / sizeof(uint64_t));
 	free(ext->icmp6_ifstat, M_IFADDR);
-	counter_u64_free(ext->dad_failures);
 	free(ext, M_IFADDR);
 }
 
diff --git a/sys/netinet6/in6_ifattach.c b/sys/netinet6/in6_ifattach.c
--- a/sys/netinet6/in6_ifattach.c
+++ b/sys/netinet6/in6_ifattach.c
@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@
 #include <sys/rmlock.h>
 #include <sys/syslog.h>
 #include <sys/md5.h>
-#include <crypto/sha2/sha256.h>
 
 #include <net/if.h>
 #include <net/if_var.h>
@@ -72,6 +71,9 @@
 #include <netinet6/mld6_var.h>
 #include <netinet6/scope6_var.h>
 
+#include <crypto/sha2/sha256.h>
+#include <machine/atomic.h>
+
 #ifdef IP6_AUTO_LINKLOCAL
 VNET_DEFINE(int, ip6_auto_linklocal) = IP6_AUTO_LINKLOCAL;
 #else
@@ -377,7 +379,7 @@
 	}
 	hostuuid_len = strlen(hostuuid);
 
-	dad_failures = counter_u64_fetch(DAD_FAILURES(ifp));
+	dad_failures = atomic_load_int(&DAD_FAILURES(ifp));
 
 	/*
 	 * RFC 7217 section 7
diff --git a/sys/netinet6/in6_proto.c b/sys/netinet6/in6_proto.c
--- a/sys/netinet6/in6_proto.c
+++ b/sys/netinet6/in6_proto.c
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@
 					 * walk list every 5 sec. */
 VNET_DEFINE(int, ip6_mcast_pmtu) = 0;	/* enable pMTU discovery for multicast? */
 VNET_DEFINE(int, ip6_v6only) = 1;
-VNET_DEFINE(int, ip6_stableaddr_maxretries) = IP6_IDGEN_RETRIES;
+VNET_DEFINE(u_int, ip6_stableaddr_maxretries) = IP6_IDGEN_RETRIES;
 
 #ifdef IPSTEALTH
 VNET_DEFINE(int, ip6stealth) = 0;
@@ -317,7 +317,7 @@
 SYSCTL_BOOL(_net_inet6_ip6, IPV6CTL_USESTABLEADDR, use_stableaddr,
 	CTLFLAG_VNET | CTLFLAG_RWTUN, &VNET_NAME(ip6_use_stableaddr), 0,
 	"Create RFC7217 semantically opaque address for autoconfigured addresses (default for new interfaces)");
-SYSCTL_INT(_net_inet6_ip6, IPV6CTL_STABLEADDR_MAXRETRIES, stableaddr_maxretries,
+SYSCTL_UINT(_net_inet6_ip6, IPV6CTL_STABLEADDR_MAXRETRIES, stableaddr_maxretries,
 	CTLFLAG_VNET | CTLFLAG_RW, &VNET_NAME(ip6_stableaddr_maxretries), IP6_IDGEN_RETRIES,
 	"RFC7217 semantically opaque address DAD max retries");
 SYSCTL_INT(_net_inet6_ip6, IPV6CTL_STABLEADDR_NETIFSRC, stableaddr_netifsource,
diff --git a/sys/netinet6/in6_var.h b/sys/netinet6/in6_var.h
--- a/sys/netinet6/in6_var.h
+++ b/sys/netinet6/in6_var.h
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@
 	struct scope6_id *scope6_id;
 	struct lltable *lltable;
 	struct mld_ifsoftc *mld_ifinfo;
-	counter_u64_t dad_failures;	/* DAD failures when using RFC 7217 stable addresses */
+	u_int dad_failures;	/* DAD failures when using RFC 7217 stable addresses */
 };
 
 #define	LLTABLE6(ifp)	(((struct in6_ifextra *)(ifp)->if_afdata[AF_INET6])->lltable)
diff --git a/sys/netinet6/ip6_var.h b/sys/netinet6/ip6_var.h
--- a/sys/netinet6/ip6_var.h
+++ b/sys/netinet6/ip6_var.h
@@ -344,7 +344,7 @@
 #define	V_ip6_use_stableaddr		VNET(ip6_use_stableaddr)
 
 #define IP6_IDGEN_RETRIES		3 /* RFC 7217 section 7 default max retries */
-VNET_DECLARE(int, ip6_stableaddr_maxretries);
+VNET_DECLARE(u_int, ip6_stableaddr_maxretries);
 #define	V_ip6_stableaddr_maxretries	VNET(ip6_stableaddr_maxretries)
 
 #define IP6_STABLEADDR_NETIFSRC_NAME	0
diff --git a/sys/netinet6/nd6_nbr.c b/sys/netinet6/nd6_nbr.c
--- a/sys/netinet6/nd6_nbr.c
+++ b/sys/netinet6/nd6_nbr.c
@@ -77,6 +77,8 @@
 #include <netinet/ip_carp.h>
 #include <netinet6/send.h>
 
+#include <machine/atomic.h>
+
 #define SDL(s) ((struct sockaddr_dl *)s)
 
 struct dadq;
@@ -1460,7 +1462,7 @@
 			if ((ND_IFINFO(ifp)->flags & ND6_IFF_IFDISABLED) == 0) {
 				ia->ia6_flags &= ~IN6_IFF_TENTATIVE;
 				if ((ND_IFINFO(ifp)->flags & ND6_IFF_STABLEADDR) && !(ia->ia6_flags & IN6_IFF_TEMPORARY))
-					counter_u64_zero(DAD_FAILURES(ifp));
+					atomic_store_int(&DAD_FAILURES(ifp), 0);
 			}
 
 			nd6log((LOG_DEBUG,
@@ -1509,10 +1511,10 @@
 	 * More addresses will be generated as long as retries are not exhausted.
 	 */
 	if ((ND_IFINFO(ifp)->flags & ND6_IFF_STABLEADDR) && !(ia->ia6_flags & IN6_IFF_TEMPORARY)) {
-		uint64_t dad_failures = counter_u64_fetch(DAD_FAILURES(ifp));
+		u_int dad_failures = atomic_load_int(&DAD_FAILURES(ifp));
 
 		if (dad_failures <= V_ip6_stableaddr_maxretries) {
-			counter_u64_add(DAD_FAILURES(ifp), 1);
+			atomic_add_int(&DAD_FAILURES(ifp), 1);
 			/* if retries exhausted, output an informative error message */
 			if (dad_failures == V_ip6_stableaddr_maxretries)
 				log(LOG_ERR, "%s: manual intervention required, consider disabling \"stableaddr\" on the interface"
diff --git a/sys/netinet6/nd6_rtr.c b/sys/netinet6/nd6_rtr.c
--- a/sys/netinet6/nd6_rtr.c
+++ b/sys/netinet6/nd6_rtr.c
@@ -74,6 +74,8 @@
 #include <netinet/icmp6.h>
 #include <netinet6/scope6_var.h>
 
+#include <machine/atomic.h>
+
 static struct nd_defrouter *defrtrlist_update(struct nd_defrouter *);
 static int prelist_update(struct nd_prefixctl *, struct nd_defrouter *,
     struct mbuf *, int);
@@ -1756,7 +1758,7 @@
 		 * to fail and no further retries should happen.
 		 */
 		if (ND_IFINFO(ifp)->flags & ND6_IFF_STABLEADDR &&
-		    counter_u64_fetch(DAD_FAILURES(ifp)) <= V_ip6_stableaddr_maxretries &&
+		    atomic_load_int(&DAD_FAILURES(ifp)) <= V_ip6_stableaddr_maxretries &&
 		    ifa6->ia6_flags & (IN6_IFF_DUPLICATED | IN6_IFF_TEMPORARY))
 			continue;