diff --git a/core/java/android/service/voice/AlwaysOnHotwordDetector.java b/core/java/android/service/voice/AlwaysOnHotwordDetector.java
index 7d070b1d9df67..f8265d6366ab1 100644
--- a/core/java/android/service/voice/AlwaysOnHotwordDetector.java
+++ b/core/java/android/service/voice/AlwaysOnHotwordDetector.java
@@ -780,15 +780,16 @@ public class AlwaysOnHotwordDetector {
             audioCapabilities |= AUDIO_CAPABILITY_NOISE_SUPPRESSION;
         }
 
-        int code = STATUS_ERROR;
+        int code;
         try {
             code = mModelManagementService.startRecognition(
                     mKeyphraseMetadata.id, mLocale.toLanguageTag(), mInternalCallback,
                     new RecognitionConfig(captureTriggerAudio, allowMultipleTriggers,
                             recognitionExtra, null /* additional data */, audioCapabilities));
         } catch (RemoteException e) {
-            Slog.w(TAG, "RemoteException in startRecognition!", e);
+            throw e.rethrowFromSystemServer();
         }
+
         if (code != STATUS_OK) {
             Slog.w(TAG, "startRecognition() failed with error code " + code);
         }
@@ -796,12 +797,12 @@ public class AlwaysOnHotwordDetector {
     }
 
     private int stopRecognitionLocked() {
-        int code = STATUS_ERROR;
+        int code;
         try {
             code = mModelManagementService.stopRecognition(mKeyphraseMetadata.id,
                     mInternalCallback);
         } catch (RemoteException e) {
-            Slog.w(TAG, "RemoteException in stopRecognition!", e);
+            throw e.rethrowFromSystemServer();
         }
 
         if (code != STATUS_OK) {
@@ -968,12 +969,12 @@ public class AlwaysOnHotwordDetector {
                 }
             }
 
-            ModuleProperties dspModuleProperties = null;
+            ModuleProperties dspModuleProperties;
             try {
                 dspModuleProperties =
                         mModelManagementService.getDspModuleProperties();
             } catch (RemoteException e) {
-                Slog.w(TAG, "RemoteException in getDspProperties!", e);
+                throw e.rethrowFromSystemServer();
             }
 
             // No DSP available
@@ -989,7 +990,7 @@ public class AlwaysOnHotwordDetector {
                 mKeyphraseMetadata = mModelManagementService.getEnrolledKeyphraseMetadata(
                         mText, mLocale.toLanguageTag());
             } catch (RemoteException e) {
-                Slog.w(TAG, "RemoteException in internalUpdateEnrolledKeyphraseMetadata", e);
+                throw e.rethrowFromSystemServer();
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/core/java/android/service/voice/VoiceInteractionService.java b/core/java/android/service/voice/VoiceInteractionService.java
index b54e4d9b876d1..45d3465fdae8a 100644
--- a/core/java/android/service/voice/VoiceInteractionService.java
+++ b/core/java/android/service/voice/VoiceInteractionService.java
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import android.os.RemoteException;
 import android.os.ServiceManager;
 import android.provider.Settings;
 import android.util.ArraySet;
+import android.util.Log;
 
 import com.android.internal.annotations.VisibleForTesting;
 import com.android.internal.app.IVoiceActionCheckCallback;
@@ -47,6 +48,7 @@ import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Locale;
+import java.util.Objects;
 import java.util.Set;
 
 /**
@@ -63,6 +65,8 @@ import java.util.Set;
  * separate process from this one.
  */
 public class VoiceInteractionService extends Service {
+    static final String TAG = VoiceInteractionService.class.getSimpleName();
+
     /**
      * The {@link Intent} that must be declared as handled by the service.
      * To be supported, the service must also require the
@@ -240,9 +244,22 @@ public class VoiceInteractionService extends Service {
     public void onReady() {
         mSystemService = IVoiceInteractionManagerService.Stub.asInterface(
                 ServiceManager.getService(Context.VOICE_INTERACTION_MANAGER_SERVICE));
+        Objects.requireNonNull(mSystemService);
+        try {
+            mSystemService.asBinder().linkToDeath(mDeathRecipient, 0);
+        } catch (RemoteException e) {
+            Log.wtf(TAG, "unable to link to death with system service");
+        }
         mKeyphraseEnrollmentInfo = new KeyphraseEnrollmentInfo(getPackageManager());
     }
 
+    private IBinder.DeathRecipient mDeathRecipient = () -> {
+        Log.e(TAG, "system service binder died shutting down");
+        Handler.getMain().executeOrSendMessage(PooledLambda.obtainMessage(
+                VoiceInteractionService::onShutdownInternal, VoiceInteractionService.this));
+    };
+
+
     private void onShutdownInternal() {
         onShutdown();
         // Stop any active recognitions when shutting down.
@@ -349,16 +366,24 @@ public class VoiceInteractionService extends Service {
     }
 
     private void safelyShutdownHotwordDetector() {
-        try {
-            synchronized (mLock) {
-                if (mHotwordDetector != null) {
-                    mHotwordDetector.stopRecognition();
-                    mHotwordDetector.invalidate();
-                    mHotwordDetector = null;
-                }
+        synchronized (mLock) {
+            if (mHotwordDetector == null) {
+                return;
             }
-        } catch (Exception ex) {
-            // Ignore.
+
+            try {
+                mHotwordDetector.stopRecognition();
+            } catch (Exception ex) {
+                // Ignore.
+            }
+
+            try {
+                mHotwordDetector.invalidate();
+            } catch (Exception ex) {
+                // Ignore.
+            }
+
+            mHotwordDetector = null;
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/services/core/java/com/android/server/soundtrigger_middleware/SoundTriggerMiddlewareValidation.java b/services/core/java/com/android/server/soundtrigger_middleware/SoundTriggerMiddlewareValidation.java
index a83ba97b3bafe..a9e8d3fc7a3a2 100644
--- a/services/core/java/com/android/server/soundtrigger_middleware/SoundTriggerMiddlewareValidation.java
+++ b/services/core/java/com/android/server/soundtrigger_middleware/SoundTriggerMiddlewareValidation.java
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ import android.media.soundtrigger_middleware.SoundModel;
 import android.media.soundtrigger_middleware.SoundTriggerModuleDescriptor;
 import android.media.soundtrigger_middleware.Status;
 import android.os.IBinder;
+import android.os.Process;
 import android.os.RemoteException;
 import android.os.ServiceSpecificException;
 import android.util.Log;
@@ -139,6 +140,14 @@ public class SoundTriggerMiddlewareValidation implements ISoundTriggerMiddleware
             throw new ServiceSpecificException(((RecoverableException) e).errorCode,
                     e.getMessage());
         }
+
+        /* Throwing an exception is not enough in this case. When the HAL behaves unexpectedly, the
+           system service and the HAL must be reset and the client must be notified. Without a full
+           reset in this catastrophic case, the state of the HAL and the system service cannot be
+           guaranteed to the client.
+         */
+        Log.wtf(TAG, "Crashing system server due to unrecoverable exception", e);
+        Process.killProcess(Process.myPid());
         throw new InternalServerError(e);
     }
 
diff --git a/services/voiceinteraction/java/com/android/server/soundtrigger/SoundTriggerService.java b/services/voiceinteraction/java/com/android/server/soundtrigger/SoundTriggerService.java
index 3196758996be7..00cb6dc7400dd 100644
--- a/services/voiceinteraction/java/com/android/server/soundtrigger/SoundTriggerService.java
+++ b/services/voiceinteraction/java/com/android/server/soundtrigger/SoundTriggerService.java
@@ -207,7 +207,13 @@ public class SoundTriggerService extends SystemService {
 
     @Override
     public void onBootPhase(int phase) {
-        if (PHASE_SYSTEM_SERVICES_READY == phase) {
+        Slog.d(TAG, "onBootPhase: " + phase + " : " + isSafeMode());
+        if (PHASE_DEVICE_SPECIFIC_SERVICES_READY == phase) {
+            if (isSafeMode()) {
+                Slog.w(TAG, "not enabling SoundTriggerService in safe mode");
+                return;
+            }
+
             initSoundTriggerHelper();
             mLocalSoundTriggerService.setSoundTriggerHelper(mSoundTriggerHelper);
         } else if (PHASE_THIRD_PARTY_APPS_CAN_START == phase) {