diff --git a/pkg/providers/error_classifier.go b/pkg/providers/error_classifier.go
index e7691aa93..187ebbfc8 100644
--- a/pkg/providers/error_classifier.go
+++ b/pkg/providers/error_classifier.go
@@ -183,6 +183,9 @@ func classifyByStatus(status int) FailoverReason {
 		return FailoverRateLimit
 	case status == 400:
 		return FailoverFormat
+	case status == 404:
+		// Model not found - allow fallback to alternative models
+		return FailoverTimeout
 	case transientStatusCodes[status]:
 		return FailoverTimeout
 	}