diff --git a/drivers/scsi/ahci.c b/drivers/scsi/ahci.c
index 30676b0eb366..bb3686ae1885 100644
--- a/drivers/scsi/ahci.c
+++ b/drivers/scsi/ahci.c
@@ -680,7 +680,7 @@ static void ahci_eng_timeout(struct ata_port *ap)
 	 	 * not being called from the SCSI EH.
 	 	 */
 		qc->scsidone = scsi_finish_command;
-		qc->err_mask |= AC_ERR_OTHER;
+		qc->err_mask |= AC_ERR_TIMEOUT;
 		ata_qc_complete(qc);
 	}
 
@@ -721,7 +721,7 @@ static inline int ahci_host_intr(struct ata_port *ap, struct ata_queued_cmd *qc)
 		ahci_restart_port(ap, status);
 
 		if (qc) {
-			qc->err_mask |= AC_ERR_OTHER;
+			qc->err_mask |= err_mask;
 			ata_qc_complete(qc);
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/drivers/scsi/libata-core.c b/drivers/scsi/libata-core.c
index 20bccabb54fc..5b6bc3655068 100644
--- a/drivers/scsi/libata-core.c
+++ b/drivers/scsi/libata-core.c
@@ -1126,8 +1126,10 @@ ata_exec_internal(struct ata_port *ap, struct ata_device *dev,
 	qc->private_data = &wait;
 	qc->complete_fn = ata_qc_complete_internal;
 
-	if (ata_qc_issue(qc))
-		goto issue_fail;
+	if (ata_qc_issue(qc)) {
+		qc->err_mask = AC_ERR_OTHER;
+		ata_qc_complete(qc);
+	}
 
 	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&ap->host_set->lock, flags);
 
@@ -1141,7 +1143,7 @@ ata_exec_internal(struct ata_port *ap, struct ata_device *dev,
 		 * spurious interrupt.  We can live with that.
 		 */
 		if (qc->flags & ATA_QCFLAG_ACTIVE) {
-			qc->err_mask = AC_ERR_OTHER;
+			qc->err_mask = AC_ERR_TIMEOUT;
 			ata_qc_complete(qc);
 			printk(KERN_WARNING "ata%u: qc timeout (cmd 0x%x)\n",
 			       ap->id, command);
@@ -1156,11 +1158,6 @@ ata_exec_internal(struct ata_port *ap, struct ata_device *dev,
 	ata_qc_free(qc);
 
 	return err_mask;
-
- issue_fail:
-	ata_qc_free(qc);
-	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&ap->host_set->lock, flags);
-	return AC_ERR_OTHER;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -2929,7 +2926,7 @@ static unsigned long ata_pio_poll(struct ata_port *ap)
 	status = ata_chk_status(ap);
 	if (status & ATA_BUSY) {
 		if (time_after(jiffies, ap->pio_task_timeout)) {
-			qc->err_mask |= AC_ERR_ATA_BUS;
+			qc->err_mask |= AC_ERR_TIMEOUT;
 			ap->hsm_task_state = HSM_ST_TMOUT;
 			return 0;
 		}
@@ -3474,7 +3471,7 @@ static void atapi_pio_bytes(struct ata_queued_cmd *qc)
 err_out:
 	printk(KERN_INFO "ata%u: dev %u: ATAPI check failed\n",
 	      ap->id, dev->devno);
-	qc->err_mask |= AC_ERR_ATA_BUS;
+	qc->err_mask |= AC_ERR_HSM;
 	ap->hsm_task_state = HSM_ST_ERR;
 }
 
@@ -3532,7 +3529,7 @@ static void ata_pio_block(struct ata_port *ap)
 	} else {
 		/* handle BSY=0, DRQ=0 as error */
 		if ((status & ATA_DRQ) == 0) {
-			qc->err_mask |= AC_ERR_ATA_BUS;
+			qc->err_mask |= AC_ERR_HSM;
 			ap->hsm_task_state = HSM_ST_ERR;
 			return;
 		}
@@ -3873,10 +3870,10 @@ int ata_qc_issue(struct ata_queued_cmd *qc)
 	if (ata_should_dma_map(qc)) {
 		if (qc->flags & ATA_QCFLAG_SG) {
 			if (ata_sg_setup(qc))
-				goto err_out;
+				goto sg_err;
 		} else if (qc->flags & ATA_QCFLAG_SINGLE) {
 			if (ata_sg_setup_one(qc))
-				goto err_out;
+				goto sg_err;
 		}
 	} else {
 		qc->flags &= ~ATA_QCFLAG_DMAMAP;
@@ -3889,7 +3886,8 @@ int ata_qc_issue(struct ata_queued_cmd *qc)
 
 	return ap->ops->qc_issue(qc);
 
-err_out:
+sg_err:
+	qc->flags &= ~ATA_QCFLAG_DMAMAP;
 	return -1;
 }
 
diff --git a/drivers/scsi/libata-scsi.c b/drivers/scsi/libata-scsi.c
index ce3fe928a386..c496309f691a 100644
--- a/drivers/scsi/libata-scsi.c
+++ b/drivers/scsi/libata-scsi.c
@@ -1322,8 +1322,10 @@ static void ata_scsi_translate(struct ata_port *ap, struct ata_device *dev,
 		goto early_finish;
 
 	/* select device, send command to hardware */
-	if (ata_qc_issue(qc))
-		goto err_did;
+	if (ata_qc_issue(qc)) {
+		qc->err_mask |= AC_ERR_OTHER;
+		ata_qc_complete(qc);
+	}
 
 	VPRINTK("EXIT\n");
 	return;
diff --git a/drivers/scsi/sata_mv.c b/drivers/scsi/sata_mv.c
index e9bee1210c23..68d17791896f 100644
--- a/drivers/scsi/sata_mv.c
+++ b/drivers/scsi/sata_mv.c
@@ -1865,7 +1865,7 @@ static void mv_eng_timeout(struct ata_port *ap)
 	 	 */
 		spin_lock_irqsave(&ap->host_set->lock, flags);
 		qc->scsidone = scsi_finish_command;
-		qc->err_mask |= AC_ERR_OTHER;
+		qc->err_mask |= AC_ERR_TIMEOUT;
 		ata_qc_complete(qc);
 		spin_unlock_irqrestore(&ap->host_set->lock, flags);
 	}
diff --git a/drivers/scsi/sata_sil24.c b/drivers/scsi/sata_sil24.c
index 923130185a9e..fb59012b9fbe 100644
--- a/drivers/scsi/sata_sil24.c
+++ b/drivers/scsi/sata_sil24.c
@@ -653,7 +653,7 @@ static void sil24_eng_timeout(struct ata_port *ap)
 	 */
 	printk(KERN_ERR "ata%u: command timeout\n", ap->id);
 	qc->scsidone = scsi_finish_command;
-	qc->err_mask |= AC_ERR_OTHER;
+	qc->err_mask |= AC_ERR_TIMEOUT;
 	ata_qc_complete(qc);
 
 	sil24_reset_controller(ap);
diff --git a/include/linux/libata.h b/include/linux/libata.h
index d34963c18656..510aee82113a 100644
--- a/include/linux/libata.h
+++ b/include/linux/libata.h
@@ -227,10 +227,15 @@ enum hsm_task_states {
 };
 
 enum ata_completion_errors {
-	AC_ERR_OTHER		= (1 << 0),
-	AC_ERR_DEV		= (1 << 1),
-	AC_ERR_ATA_BUS		= (1 << 2),
-	AC_ERR_HOST_BUS		= (1 << 3),
+	AC_ERR_DEV		= (1 << 0), /* device reported error */
+	AC_ERR_HSM		= (1 << 1), /* host state machine violation */
+	AC_ERR_TIMEOUT		= (1 << 2), /* timeout */
+	AC_ERR_MEDIA		= (1 << 3), /* media error */
+	AC_ERR_ATA_BUS		= (1 << 4), /* ATA bus error */
+	AC_ERR_HOST_BUS		= (1 << 5), /* host bus error */
+	AC_ERR_SYSTEM		= (1 << 6), /* system error */
+	AC_ERR_INVALID		= (1 << 7), /* invalid argument */
+	AC_ERR_OTHER		= (1 << 8), /* unknown */
 };
 
 /* forward declarations */
@@ -836,7 +841,7 @@ static inline int ata_try_flush_cache(const struct ata_device *dev)
 static inline unsigned int ac_err_mask(u8 status)
 {
 	if (status & ATA_BUSY)
-		return AC_ERR_ATA_BUS;
+		return AC_ERR_HSM;
 	if (status & (ATA_ERR | ATA_DF))
 		return AC_ERR_DEV;
 	return 0;