diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/ml/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/dataframe/DataFrameAnalyticsTask.java b/x-pack/plugin/ml/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/dataframe/DataFrameAnalyticsTask.java
index 9f925fc21971..334f7dd2f2e2 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/ml/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/dataframe/DataFrameAnalyticsTask.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/ml/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/dataframe/DataFrameAnalyticsTask.java
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ void persistProgress(Client client, String jobId, Runnable runnable) {
 
         String progressDocId = StoredProgress.documentId(jobId);
 
-        // Step 3: Run the runnable provided as the argument
+        // Step 4: Run the runnable provided as the argument
         ActionListener<IndexResponse> indexProgressDocListener = ActionListener.wrap(
             indexResponse -> {
                 LOGGER.debug("[{}] Successfully indexed progress document", jobId);
@@ -303,7 +303,7 @@ void persistProgress(Client client, String jobId, Runnable runnable) {
             }
         );
 
-        // Step 2: Create or update the progress document:
+        // Step 3: Create or update the progress document:
         //   - if the document did not exist, create the new one in the current write index
         //   - if the document did exist, update it in the index where it resides (not necessarily the current write index)
         ActionListener<SearchResponse> searchFormerProgressDocListener = ActionListener.wrap(
@@ -331,14 +331,26 @@ void persistProgress(Client client, String jobId, Runnable runnable) {
             }
         );
 
-        // Step 1: Search for existing progress document in .ml-state*
-        SearchRequest searchRequest =
-            new SearchRequest(AnomalyDetectorsIndex.jobStateIndexPattern())
-                .source(
-                    new SearchSourceBuilder()
-                        .size(1)
-                        .query(new IdsQueryBuilder().addIds(progressDocId)));
-        executeAsyncWithOrigin(client, ML_ORIGIN, SearchAction.INSTANCE, searchRequest, searchFormerProgressDocListener);
+        // Step 2: Search for existing progress document in .ml-state*
+        ActionListener<Void> reindexProgressUpdateListener = ActionListener.wrap(
+            aVoid -> {
+                SearchRequest searchRequest =
+                    new SearchRequest(AnomalyDetectorsIndex.jobStateIndexPattern())
+                        .source(
+                            new SearchSourceBuilder()
+                                .size(1)
+                                .query(new IdsQueryBuilder().addIds(progressDocId)));
+                executeAsyncWithOrigin(client, ML_ORIGIN, SearchAction.INSTANCE, searchRequest, searchFormerProgressDocListener);
+            },
+            e -> {
+                LOGGER.error(new ParameterizedMessage(
+                    "[{}] cannot persist progress as an error occurred while updating reindexing task progress", taskParams.getId()), e);
+                runnable.run();
+            }
+        );
+
+        // Step 1: Update reindexing progress as it could be stale
+        updateReindexTaskProgress(reindexProgressUpdateListener);
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/ml/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/dataframe/DataFrameAnalyticsTaskTests.java b/x-pack/plugin/ml/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/dataframe/DataFrameAnalyticsTaskTests.java
index b9695352062b..12de679c1b1d 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/ml/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/dataframe/DataFrameAnalyticsTaskTests.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/ml/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/dataframe/DataFrameAnalyticsTaskTests.java
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@
 import java.util.Map;
 
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.equalTo;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.hasSize;
 import static org.mockito.Matchers.any;
 import static org.mockito.Matchers.eq;
 import static org.mockito.Matchers.same;
@@ -216,8 +217,9 @@ private void testSetFailed(boolean nodeShuttingDown) throws IOException {
         PersistentTasksService persistentTasksService = new PersistentTasksService(clusterService, mock(ThreadPool.class), client);
         TaskManager taskManager = mock(TaskManager.class);
 
+        // We leave reindexing progress here to zero in order to check it is updated before it is persisted
         List<PhaseProgress> progress = List.of(
-            new PhaseProgress(ProgressTracker.REINDEXING, 100),
+            new PhaseProgress(ProgressTracker.REINDEXING, 0),
             new PhaseProgress(ProgressTracker.LOADING_DATA, 100),
             new PhaseProgress(ProgressTracker.WRITING_RESULTS, 30));
 
@@ -239,6 +241,7 @@ private void testSetFailed(boolean nodeShuttingDown) throws IOException {
             new DataFrameAnalyticsTask(
                 123, "type", "action", null, Map.of(), client, clusterService, analyticsManager, auditor, taskParams);
         task.init(persistentTasksService, taskManager, "task-id", 42);
+        task.setReindexingFinished();
         Exception exception = new Exception("some exception");
 
         task.setFailed(exception);
@@ -260,7 +263,8 @@ private void testSetFailed(boolean nodeShuttingDown) throws IOException {
             try (XContentParser parser = JsonXContent.jsonXContent.createParser(
                 NamedXContentRegistry.EMPTY, DeprecationHandler.IGNORE_DEPRECATIONS, indexRequest.source().utf8ToString())) {
                 StoredProgress parsedProgress = StoredProgress.PARSER.apply(parser, null);
-                assertThat(parsedProgress.get(), equalTo(progress));
+                assertThat(parsedProgress.get(), hasSize(3));
+                assertThat(parsedProgress.get().get(0), equalTo(new PhaseProgress("reindexing", 100)));
             }
 
             verify(client).execute(
@@ -269,7 +273,7 @@ private void testSetFailed(boolean nodeShuttingDown) throws IOException {
                     "task-id", 42, new DataFrameAnalyticsTaskState(DataFrameAnalyticsState.FAILED, 42, "some exception"))),
                 any());
         }
-        verifyNoMoreInteractions(client, clusterService, analyticsManager, auditor, taskManager);
+        verifyNoMoreInteractions(client, analyticsManager, auditor, taskManager);
     }
 
     @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")