diff --git a/aclocal.m4 b/aclocal.m4
index c14382053..622bb6ef7 100644
--- a/aclocal.m4
+++ b/aclocal.m4
@@ -2433,7 +2433,6 @@ AC_DEFUN([gl_UTIMENS],
   AC_REQUIRE([gl_FUNC_UTIMES])
   AC_REQUIRE([jm_CHECK_TYPE_STRUCT_TIMESPEC])
   AC_REQUIRE([jm_CHECK_TYPE_STRUCT_UTIMBUF])
-  AC_CHECK_FUNCS_ONCE(utime)
 ])
 
 #serial 7
@@ -2522,10 +2521,10 @@ AC_DEFUN([AC_STRUCT_ST_MTIM_NSEC],
  ]
 )
 
-# See if we need to work around bugs in glibc's implementation of utimes
-# from around July/August 2003.
-# First, there was a bug that would make utimes set mtime and atime
-# to zero (1970-01-01) unconditionally.
+# See if we need to work around bugs in glibc's implementation of
+# utimes from around July/August 2003.
+# First, there was a bug that would make utimes set mtime
+# and atime to zero (1970-01-01) unconditionally.
 # Then, there is/was code to round rather than truncate.
 #
 # From Jim Meyering, with suggestions from Paul Eggert.
diff --git a/m4/Makefile.am b/m4/Makefile.am
index bb0b15a59..a823533a0 100644
--- a/m4/Makefile.am
+++ b/m4/Makefile.am
@@ -98,6 +98,7 @@ uptime.m4 \
 utimbuf.m4 \
 utime.m4 \
 utimens.m4 \
+utimes-null.m4 \
 utimes.m4 \
 vasnprintf.m4 \
 vasprintf.m4 \
diff --git a/m4/Makefile.in b/m4/Makefile.in
index 18ae84af0..f1e285f6c 100644
--- a/m4/Makefile.in
+++ b/m4/Makefile.in
@@ -249,6 +249,7 @@ uptime.m4 \
 utimbuf.m4 \
 utime.m4 \
 utimens.m4 \
+utimes-null.m4 \
 utimes.m4 \
 vasnprintf.m4 \
 vasprintf.m4 \