diff --git a/onnxruntime/core/providers/tensorrt/tensorrt_execution_provider.cc b/onnxruntime/core/providers/tensorrt/tensorrt_execution_provider.cc
index 13d247afd37f7..aa0294a4e12ff 100644
--- a/onnxruntime/core/providers/tensorrt/tensorrt_execution_provider.cc
+++ b/onnxruntime/core/providers/tensorrt/tensorrt_execution_provider.cc
@@ -473,7 +473,7 @@ TensorrtExecutionProvider::TensorrtExecutionProvider(const TensorrtExecutionProv
         throw std::runtime_error("Failed to create directory " + cache_path_);
       }
     }
-    runtime_ = nvinfer1::createInferRuntime(GetTensorrtLogger());
+    runtime_ = tensorrt_ptr::unique_pointer<nvinfer1::IRuntime>(nvinfer1::createInferRuntime(GetTensorrtLogger()));
   }
 
   const std::string engine_decryption_enable_env = onnxruntime::GetEnvironmentVar(tensorrt_env_vars::kDecryptionEnable);
@@ -1243,7 +1243,7 @@ common::Status TensorrtExecutionProvider::Compile(const std::vector<Node*>& fuse
             &engines_[context->node_name], &contexts_[context->node_name], &builders_[context->node_name],
             &networks_[context->node_name], input_info_[context->node_name], output_info_[context->node_name],
             input_shape_ranges_[context->node_name], &tensorrt_mu_, &fp16_enable_, &int8_enable_, &max_workspace_size_,
-            trt_node_name_with_precision, engine_cache_enable_, cache_path_, runtime_, nullptr,
+            trt_node_name_with_precision, engine_cache_enable_, cache_path_, runtime_.get(), nullptr,
             allocator_, dynamic_range_map, engine_decryption_enable_, engine_decryption_};
       *state = p.release();
       return 0;
@@ -1295,9 +1295,8 @@ common::Status TensorrtExecutionProvider::Compile(const std::vector<Node*>& fuse
           engine_file.seekg(0, std::ios::beg);
           std::unique_ptr<char[]> engine_buf{new char[engine_size]};
           engine_file.read((char*)engine_buf.get(), engine_size);
-          auto runtime_ = trt_state->runtime;
           *(trt_state->engine) = tensorrt_ptr::unique_pointer<nvinfer1::ICudaEngine>(
-              runtime_->deserializeCudaEngine(engine_buf.get(), engine_size, nullptr));
+              trt_state->runtime->deserializeCudaEngine(engine_buf.get(), engine_size, nullptr));
           if (trt_state->engine == nullptr) {
             return ORT_MAKE_STATUS(ONNXRUNTIME, EP_FAIL, "TensorRT EP Failed to Build Engine.");
           }
diff --git a/onnxruntime/core/providers/tensorrt/tensorrt_execution_provider.h b/onnxruntime/core/providers/tensorrt/tensorrt_execution_provider.h
index 073ee6aa275a2..1838cc1c05f0b 100644
--- a/onnxruntime/core/providers/tensorrt/tensorrt_execution_provider.h
+++ b/onnxruntime/core/providers/tensorrt/tensorrt_execution_provider.h
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ class TensorrtExecutionProvider : public IExecutionProvider {
   bool dump_subgraphs_ = false;
   bool engine_cache_enable_ = false;
   std::string cache_path_;
-  nvinfer1::IRuntime* runtime_ = nullptr;
+  tensorrt_ptr::unique_pointer<nvinfer1::IRuntime> runtime_ = nullptr;
   OrtMutex tensorrt_mu_;
   int device_id_;
   AllocatorPtr allocator_;