diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/ath9k.h b/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/ath9k.h
index 2c31f5142eda6e5307e7ffb6431f65d86f6aaf18..d9bda275ec21831afa6a8544b730d3bf2ea923a3 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/ath9k.h
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/ath9k.h
@@ -667,6 +667,7 @@ extern struct ieee80211_ops ath9k_ops;
 extern int modparam_nohwcrypt;
 extern int led_blink;
 extern int ath9k_pm_qos_value;
+extern bool is_ath9k_unloaded;
 
 irqreturn_t ath_isr(int irq, void *dev);
 int ath9k_init_device(u16 devid, struct ath_softc *sc, u16 subsysid,
diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/init.c b/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/init.c
index b0e5e716b167f68c765f04f26bd9a02f67308f04..9efc77d82563413b3ed1874ceb670e266fce1e22 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/init.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/init.c
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ int ath9k_pm_qos_value = ATH9K_PM_QOS_DEFAULT_VALUE;
 module_param_named(pmqos, ath9k_pm_qos_value, int, S_IRUSR | S_IRGRP | S_IROTH);
 MODULE_PARM_DESC(pmqos, "User specified PM-QOS value");
 
+bool is_ath9k_unloaded;
 /* We use the hw_value as an index into our private channel structure */
 
 #define CHAN2G(_freq, _idx)  { \
@@ -899,6 +900,7 @@ module_init(ath9k_init);
 
 static void __exit ath9k_exit(void)
 {
+	is_ath9k_unloaded = true;
 	ath_ahb_exit();
 	ath_pci_exit();
 	ath_rate_control_unregister();
diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/pci.c b/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/pci.c
index 7ca8499249ecfa13f36fddd9f6cb9411ca2a3239..3eb938d7a012bb695270ad16b929dcb0112914a3 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/pci.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/pci.c
@@ -264,6 +264,8 @@ static void ath_pci_remove(struct pci_dev *pdev)
 	struct ath_softc *sc = aphy->sc;
 	void __iomem *mem = sc->mem;
 
+	if (!is_ath9k_unloaded)
+		sc->sc_ah->ah_flags |= AH_UNPLUGGED;
 	ath9k_deinit_device(sc);
 	free_irq(sc->irq, sc);
 	ieee80211_free_hw(sc->hw);
diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/recv.c b/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/recv.c
index 00ebed3f9158af4db1c62c98c50a4bcb0920e4e2..b2497b8601e5bb6e4f5411968d2bc5faedac8eb7 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/recv.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/recv.c
@@ -528,7 +528,8 @@ bool ath_stoprecv(struct ath_softc *sc)
 		sc->rx.rxlink = NULL;
 	spin_unlock_bh(&sc->rx.rxbuflock);
 
-	if (unlikely(!stopped)) {
+	if (!(ah->ah_flags & AH_UNPLUGGED) &&
+	    unlikely(!stopped)) {
 		ath_err(ath9k_hw_common(sc->sc_ah),
 			"Could not stop RX, we could be "
 			"confusing the DMA engine when we start RX up\n");