diff --git a/pkg/providers/error_classifier.go b/pkg/providers/error_classifier.go
index 88c92a47d..8970c8c07 100644
--- a/pkg/providers/error_classifier.go
+++ b/pkg/providers/error_classifier.go
@@ -257,6 +257,9 @@ 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
 	}