diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/intel/iwlwifi/mvm/mac80211.c b/drivers/net/wireless/intel/iwlwifi/mvm/mac80211.c
index 08008b0c0637cd24f0f9012a9a6b387ec6beba8d..fa784d83529012af51a9c990608cedf5c1b4add6 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/intel/iwlwifi/mvm/mac80211.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/intel/iwlwifi/mvm/mac80211.c
@@ -4747,6 +4747,10 @@ 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,
@@ -4828,8 +4832,11 @@ static void iwl_mvm_mac_flush(struct ieee80211_hw *hw,
 
 	/* 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);
 }