diff --git a/src/pipecat/services/assemblyai/stt.py b/src/pipecat/services/assemblyai/stt.py
index 5eda4b7f6..d6c663dda 100644
--- a/src/pipecat/services/assemblyai/stt.py
+++ b/src/pipecat/services/assemblyai/stt.py
@@ -586,9 +586,9 @@ class AssemblyAISTTService(WebsocketSTTService):
             await self._call_event_handler("on_connected")
             logger.debug(f"{self} Connected to AssemblyAI WebSocket")
         except Exception as e:
+            self._websocket = None
             self._connected = False
             await self.push_error(error_msg=f"Unable to connect to AssemblyAI: {e}", exception=e)
-            raise
 
     async def _disconnect_websocket(self):
         """Close the websocket connection to AssemblyAI."""
diff --git a/src/pipecat/services/aws/stt.py b/src/pipecat/services/aws/stt.py
index 6a427d707..3e60ed110 100644
--- a/src/pipecat/services/aws/stt.py
+++ b/src/pipecat/services/aws/stt.py
@@ -339,10 +339,10 @@ class AWSTranscribeSTTService(WebsocketSTTService):
             await self._call_event_handler("on_connected")
             logger.info(f"{self} Successfully connected to AWS Transcribe")
         except Exception as e:
+            self._websocket = None
             await self.push_error(
                 error_msg=f"Unable to connect to AWS Transcribe: {e}", exception=e
             )
-            raise
 
     async def _disconnect_websocket(self):
         """Close the websocket connection to AWS Transcribe."""
diff --git a/src/pipecat/services/cartesia/stt.py b/src/pipecat/services/cartesia/stt.py
index af3418edd..2d3eb8c96 100644
--- a/src/pipecat/services/cartesia/stt.py
+++ b/src/pipecat/services/cartesia/stt.py
@@ -354,7 +354,8 @@ class CartesiaSTTService(WebsocketSTTService):
             self._websocket = await websocket_connect(ws_url, additional_headers=headers)
             await self._call_event_handler("on_connected")
         except Exception as e:
-            await self.push_error(error_msg=f"Unknown error occurred: {e}", exception=e)
+            self._websocket = None
+            await self.push_error(error_msg=f"Unable to connect to Cartesia: {e}", exception=e)
 
     async def _disconnect_websocket(self):
         ws = self._websocket
diff --git a/src/pipecat/services/elevenlabs/stt.py b/src/pipecat/services/elevenlabs/stt.py
index 1e1d942cf..b7cdf8119 100644
--- a/src/pipecat/services/elevenlabs/stt.py
+++ b/src/pipecat/services/elevenlabs/stt.py
@@ -823,6 +823,7 @@ class ElevenLabsRealtimeSTTService(WebsocketSTTService):
             await self._call_event_handler("on_connected")
             logger.debug("Connected to ElevenLabs Realtime STT")
         except Exception as e:
+            self._websocket = None
             await self.push_error(
                 error_msg=f"Unable to connect to ElevenLabs Realtime STT: {e}", exception=e
             )
diff --git a/src/pipecat/services/gladia/stt.py b/src/pipecat/services/gladia/stt.py
index 26fea653c..0d788e234 100644
--- a/src/pipecat/services/gladia/stt.py
+++ b/src/pipecat/services/gladia/stt.py
@@ -558,8 +558,9 @@ class GladiaSTTService(WebsocketSTTService):
 
             logger.debug(f"{self} Connected to Gladia WebSocket")
         except Exception as e:
+            self._websocket = None
+            self._connection_active = False
             await self.push_error(error_msg=f"Unable to connect to Gladia: {e}", exception=e)
-            raise
 
     async def _disconnect_websocket(self):
         """Close the websocket connection to Gladia."""
diff --git a/src/pipecat/services/gradium/stt.py b/src/pipecat/services/gradium/stt.py
index 3e5c954c2..64a77402d 100644
--- a/src/pipecat/services/gradium/stt.py
+++ b/src/pipecat/services/gradium/stt.py
@@ -423,8 +423,8 @@ class GradiumSTTService(WebsocketSTTService):
             logger.debug("Connected to Gradium STT")
 
         except Exception as e:
-            await self.push_error(error_msg=f"Unknown error occurred: {e}", exception=e)
-            raise
+            self._websocket = None
+            await self.push_error(error_msg=f"Unable to connect to Gradium: {e}", exception=e)
 
     async def _disconnect(self):
         await super()._disconnect()
diff --git a/src/pipecat/services/soniox/stt.py b/src/pipecat/services/soniox/stt.py
index 2a50581ce..823517aa1 100644
--- a/src/pipecat/services/soniox/stt.py
+++ b/src/pipecat/services/soniox/stt.py
@@ -537,8 +537,8 @@ class SonioxSTTService(WebsocketSTTService):
             await self._call_event_handler("on_connected")
             logger.debug("Connected to Soniox STT")
         except Exception as e:
+            self._websocket = None
             await self.push_error(error_msg=f"Unable to connect to Soniox: {e}", exception=e)
-            raise
 
     async def _disconnect_websocket(self):
         """Close the websocket connection to Soniox."""
diff --git a/src/pipecat/services/xai/stt.py b/src/pipecat/services/xai/stt.py
index e219cfb6e..6bb32bb7e 100644
--- a/src/pipecat/services/xai/stt.py
+++ b/src/pipecat/services/xai/stt.py
@@ -293,8 +293,9 @@ class XAISTTService(WebsocketSTTService):
             await self._call_event_handler("on_connected")
             logger.debug(f"{self} connected to xAI STT WebSocket")
         except Exception as e:
+            self._websocket = None
+            self._session_ready.clear()
             await self.push_error(error_msg=f"Unable to connect to xAI STT: {e}", exception=e)
-            raise
 
     async def _disconnect_websocket(self):
         """Close the WebSocket connection."""
diff --git a/tests/test_cartesia_stt.py b/tests/test_cartesia_stt.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..08563e711
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_cartesia_stt.py
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+#
+# Copyright (c) 2024-2026, Daily
+#
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD 2-Clause License
+#
+
+from unittest.mock import AsyncMock
+
+import pytest
+from websockets.protocol import State
+
+from pipecat.services.cartesia.stt import CartesiaSTTService
+
+
+class _FakeWebsocket:
+    def __init__(self, *, state=State.OPEN, send_side_effect=None):
+        self.state = state
+        self.send = AsyncMock(side_effect=send_side_effect)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_cartesia_connect_failure_clears_stale_websocket(monkeypatch):
+    async def fake_websocket_connect(*args, **kwargs):
+        raise RuntimeError("connection failed")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr("pipecat.services.cartesia.stt.websocket_connect", fake_websocket_connect)
+
+    service = CartesiaSTTService(api_key="test-key", sample_rate=16000)
+    service._websocket = _FakeWebsocket(state=State.CLOSED)
+
+    await service._connect_websocket()
+
+    assert service._websocket is None
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_cartesia_run_stt_logs_send_failure_without_clearing_websocket():
+    service = CartesiaSTTService(api_key="test-key", sample_rate=16000)
+    websocket = _FakeWebsocket(send_side_effect=RuntimeError("websocket closed"))
+    service._websocket = websocket
+
+    async for _ in service.run_stt(b"\x00" * 160):
+        pass
+
+    assert service._websocket is websocket
diff --git a/tests/test_soniox_stt.py b/tests/test_soniox_stt.py
index e6d6713f5..99eaeb5c0 100644
--- a/tests/test_soniox_stt.py
+++ b/tests/test_soniox_stt.py
@@ -5,8 +5,10 @@
 #
 
 import json
+from unittest.mock import AsyncMock
 
 import pytest
+from websockets.protocol import State
 
 from pipecat.frames.frames import TranscriptionFrame
 from pipecat.services.soniox.stt import END_TOKEN, SonioxSTTService, _language_from_tokens
@@ -14,8 +16,10 @@ from pipecat.transcriptions.language import Language
 
 
 class _FakeWebsocket:
-    def __init__(self, messages):
+    def __init__(self, messages, *, state=State.OPEN, send_side_effect=None):
         self._messages = messages
+        self.state = state
+        self.send = AsyncMock(side_effect=send_side_effect)
 
     def __aiter__(self):
         return self._iter_messages()
@@ -25,6 +29,21 @@ class _FakeWebsocket:
             yield message
 
 
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_connect_failure_clears_stale_websocket_without_raising(monkeypatch):
+    async def fake_websocket_connect(*args, **kwargs):
+        raise RuntimeError("connection failed")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr("pipecat.services.soniox.stt.websocket_connect", fake_websocket_connect)
+
+    service = SonioxSTTService(api_key="test-key")
+    service._websocket = _FakeWebsocket([], state=State.CLOSED)
+
+    await service._connect_websocket()
+
+    assert service._websocket is None
+
+
 def test_language_from_tokens_uses_single_recognized_language():
     tokens = [
         {"text": "Hello", "language": "en"},