diff --git a/module/bdev/nvme/bdev_nvme.c b/module/bdev/nvme/bdev_nvme.c
index 539e3ad84..c10ac8001 100644
--- a/module/bdev/nvme/bdev_nvme.c
+++ b/module/bdev/nvme/bdev_nvme.c
@@ -1283,7 +1283,6 @@ _bdev_nvme_reset_complete(struct spdk_io_channel_iter *i, int status)
 
 	pthread_mutex_lock(&nvme_ctrlr->mutex);
 	nvme_ctrlr->resetting = false;
-	nvme_ctrlr->failover_in_progress = false;
 
 	path_id = TAILQ_FIRST(&nvme_ctrlr->trids);
 	assert(path_id != NULL);
@@ -1580,7 +1579,7 @@ static int
 bdev_nvme_failover_start(struct nvme_ctrlr *nvme_ctrlr, bool remove)
 {
 	struct nvme_path_id *path_id = NULL, *next_path = NULL;
-	int rc;
+	int rc __attribute__((unused));
 
 	pthread_mutex_lock(&nvme_ctrlr->mutex);
 	if (nvme_ctrlr->destruct) {
@@ -1595,14 +1594,9 @@ bdev_nvme_failover_start(struct nvme_ctrlr *nvme_ctrlr, bool remove)
 	next_path = TAILQ_NEXT(path_id, link);
 
 	if (nvme_ctrlr->resetting) {
-		if (next_path && !nvme_ctrlr->failover_in_progress) {
-			rc = -EBUSY;
-		} else {
-			rc = -EALREADY;
-		}
 		pthread_mutex_unlock(&nvme_ctrlr->mutex);
 		SPDK_NOTICELOG("Unable to perform reset, already in progress.\n");
-		return rc;
+		return -EBUSY;
 	}
 
 	nvme_ctrlr->resetting = true;
@@ -1614,7 +1608,6 @@ bdev_nvme_failover_start(struct nvme_ctrlr *nvme_ctrlr, bool remove)
 		SPDK_NOTICELOG("Start failover from %s:%s to %s:%s\n", path_id->trid.traddr,
 			       path_id->trid.trsvcid,	next_path->trid.traddr, next_path->trid.trsvcid);
 
-		nvme_ctrlr->failover_in_progress = true;
 		spdk_nvme_ctrlr_fail(nvme_ctrlr->ctrlr);
 		nvme_ctrlr->active_path_id = next_path;
 		rc = spdk_nvme_ctrlr_set_trid(nvme_ctrlr->ctrlr, &next_path->trid);
@@ -1642,11 +1635,9 @@ bdev_nvme_failover(struct nvme_ctrlr *nvme_ctrlr, bool remove)
 	rc = bdev_nvme_failover_start(nvme_ctrlr, remove);
 	if (rc == 0) {
 		spdk_thread_send_msg(nvme_ctrlr->thread, _bdev_nvme_reset, nvme_ctrlr);
-	} else if (rc != -EALREADY) {
-		return rc;
 	}
 
-	return 0;
+	return rc;
 }
 
 static int bdev_nvme_unmap(struct nvme_bdev_io *bio, uint64_t offset_blocks,
diff --git a/module/bdev/nvme/bdev_nvme.h b/module/bdev/nvme/bdev_nvme.h
index 61bf17430..2f377c32b 100644
--- a/module/bdev/nvme/bdev_nvme.h
+++ b/module/bdev/nvme/bdev_nvme.h
@@ -104,7 +104,6 @@ struct nvme_ctrlr {
 	int					ref;
 
 	uint32_t				resetting : 1;
-	uint32_t				failover_in_progress : 1;
 	uint32_t				destruct : 1;
 	uint32_t				ana_log_page_updating : 1;
 	/**
diff --git a/test/unit/lib/bdev/nvme/bdev_nvme.c/bdev_nvme_ut.c b/test/unit/lib/bdev/nvme/bdev_nvme.c/bdev_nvme_ut.c
index 0b1a47b16..bc67770fa 100644
--- a/test/unit/lib/bdev/nvme/bdev_nvme.c/bdev_nvme_ut.c
+++ b/test/unit/lib/bdev/nvme/bdev_nvme.c/bdev_nvme_ut.c
@@ -1451,18 +1451,10 @@ test_failover_ctrlr(void)
 	nvme_ctrlr->resetting = true;
 
 	rc = bdev_nvme_failover(nvme_ctrlr, false);
-	CU_ASSERT(rc == 0);
+	CU_ASSERT(rc == -EBUSY);
 
-	/* Case 3: failover is in progress. */
-	nvme_ctrlr->failover_in_progress = true;
-
-	rc = bdev_nvme_failover(nvme_ctrlr, false);
-	CU_ASSERT(rc == 0);
-	CU_ASSERT(curr_trid->is_failed == false);
-
-	/* Case 4: reset completes successfully. */
+	/* Case 3: reset completes successfully. */
 	nvme_ctrlr->resetting = false;
-	nvme_ctrlr->failover_in_progress = false;
 
 	rc = bdev_nvme_failover(nvme_ctrlr, false);
 	CU_ASSERT(rc == 0);
@@ -1492,27 +1484,19 @@ test_failover_ctrlr(void)
 	/* Failover starts from thread 1. */
 	set_thread(1);
 
-	/* Case 5: reset is in progress. */
+	/* Case 4: reset is in progress. */
 	nvme_ctrlr->resetting = true;
 
 	rc = bdev_nvme_failover(nvme_ctrlr, false);
 	CU_ASSERT(rc == -EBUSY);
 
-	/* Case 5: failover is in progress. */
-	nvme_ctrlr->failover_in_progress = true;
-
-	rc = bdev_nvme_failover(nvme_ctrlr, false);
-	CU_ASSERT(rc == 0);
-
-	/* Case 6: failover completes successfully. */
+	/* Case 5: failover completes successfully. */
 	nvme_ctrlr->resetting = false;
-	nvme_ctrlr->failover_in_progress = false;
 
 	rc = bdev_nvme_failover(nvme_ctrlr, false);
 	CU_ASSERT(rc == 0);
 
 	CU_ASSERT(nvme_ctrlr->resetting == true);
-	CU_ASSERT(nvme_ctrlr->failover_in_progress == true);
 
 	next_trid = TAILQ_FIRST(&nvme_ctrlr->trids);
 	SPDK_CU_ASSERT_FATAL(next_trid != NULL);
@@ -1523,7 +1507,6 @@ test_failover_ctrlr(void)
 	poll_threads();
 
 	CU_ASSERT(nvme_ctrlr->resetting == false);
-	CU_ASSERT(nvme_ctrlr->failover_in_progress == false);
 
 	spdk_put_io_channel(ch2);