diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/intel/iwlwifi/mvm/mac80211.c b/drivers/net/wireless/intel/iwlwifi/mvm/mac80211.c
index add60031c8d7e7ea983ab49b983b4fba2ba46ea8..7084f192cfc7c4e601f139b14c4d0b27feca8af5 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/intel/iwlwifi/mvm/mac80211.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/intel/iwlwifi/mvm/mac80211.c
@@ -5569,6 +5569,10 @@ static void iwl_mvm_flush_no_vif(struct iwl_mvm *mvm, u32 queues, bool drop)
 	int i;
 
 	if (!iwl_mvm_has_new_tx_api(mvm)) {
+		/* we can't ask the firmware anything if it is dead */
+		if (test_bit(IWL_MVM_STATUS_HW_RESTART_REQUESTED,
+			     &mvm->status))
+			return;
 		if (drop) {
 			mutex_lock(&mvm->mutex);
 			iwl_mvm_flush_tx_path(mvm,
@@ -5653,8 +5657,11 @@ void iwl_mvm_mac_flush(struct ieee80211_hw *hw, struct ieee80211_vif *vif,
 
 	/* this can take a while, and we may need/want other operations
 	 * to succeed while doing this, so do it without the mutex held
+	 * If the firmware is dead, this can't work...
 	 */
-	if (!drop && !iwl_mvm_has_new_tx_api(mvm))
+	if (!drop && !iwl_mvm_has_new_tx_api(mvm) &&
+	    !test_bit(IWL_MVM_STATUS_HW_RESTART_REQUESTED,
+		      &mvm->status))
 		iwl_trans_wait_tx_queues_empty(mvm->trans, msk);
 }