diff --git a/bes2600/sta.c b/bes2600/sta.c
index e64841a..edf2c23 100644
--- a/bes2600/sta.c
+++ b/bes2600/sta.c
@@ -2209,9 +2209,10 @@ void bes2600_join_work(struct work_struct *work)
 	struct wsm_template_frame probe_tmp = {
 		.frame_type = WSM_FRAME_TYPE_PROBE_REQUEST,
 	};
-	/*struct wsm_reset reset = {
-		.reset_statistics = true,
-	};*/
+	struct wsm_reset join_fail_reset = {
+		.reset_statistics = false,
+	};
+	bool join_failed = false;
 
 
 	BUG_ON(queueId >= 4);
@@ -2390,6 +2391,33 @@ void bes2600_join_work(struct work_struct *work)
 #endif /*CONFIG_BES2600_TESTMODE*/
 			cancel_delayed_work_sync(&priv->join_timeout);
 			bes2600_pwr_clear_busy_event(priv->hw_priv, BES_PWR_LOCK_ON_JOIN);
+			/*
+			 * Firmware rejected WSM_JOIN (wsm_join_confirm ret 1).
+			 * Issue wsm_reset so the firmware returns to a clean
+			 * IDLE state before the next association attempt.
+			 *
+			 * Without this reset the firmware sits in an
+			 * intermediate post-reject state.  A rapid second
+			 * JOIN (e.g. wpa_supplicant retrying after the
+			 * PREV_AUTH_NOT_VALID deauth that follows) hits an
+			 * inconsistent firmware context, causing
+			 * bes2600_sdio_read_rx_batch to return SDIO error
+			 * which cascades into wifi_force_close.
+			 *
+			 * cw1200 ancestor (drivers/net/wireless/st/cw1200/
+			 * sta.c:1339) queues unjoin_work on join failure for
+			 * the same reason; bes2600_unjoin_work gates its
+			 * wsm_reset on join_status != PASSIVE, so after a
+			 * failed JOIN (join_status stays PASSIVE) that path
+			 * never fires — call wsm_reset directly here instead.
+			 *
+			 * Contract: wsm_reset takes only wsm_cmd_lock; safe
+			 * to call while conf_lock is held.  wsm_oper_unlock
+			 * was already called in wsm_join_confirm() before
+			 * wsm_join() returned the error.
+			 */
+			WARN_ON(wsm_reset(hw_priv, &join_fail_reset, priv->if_id));
+			join_failed = true;
 		} else {
 			/* Upload keys */
 #ifdef CONFIG_BES2600_TESTMODE
@@ -2414,7 +2442,18 @@ void bes2600_join_work(struct work_struct *work)
 	up(&hw_priv->conf_lock);
 	if (bss)
 		cfg80211_put_bss(hw_priv->hw->wiphy, bss);
-	wsm_unlock_tx(hw_priv);
+	/*
+	 * On join failure: queue unjoin_work so the next association
+	 * attempt is serialised after any lingering cleanup, matching
+	 * cw1200 sta.c:1344 "Tx lock still held, unjoin will clear it."
+	 * If unjoin_work is already queued, release TX immediately.
+	 */
+	if (join_failed) {
+		if (queue_work(hw_priv->workqueue, &priv->unjoin_work) <= 0)
+			wsm_unlock_tx(hw_priv);
+	} else {
+		wsm_unlock_tx(hw_priv);
+	}
 }
 
 void bes2600_join_timeout(struct work_struct *work)