diff --git a/plugin/ml/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/action/TransportCloseJobAction.java b/plugin/ml/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/action/TransportCloseJobAction.java
index f4db7f81ab4..7d113a838dd 100644
--- a/plugin/ml/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/action/TransportCloseJobAction.java
+++ b/plugin/ml/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/action/TransportCloseJobAction.java
@@ -170,7 +170,6 @@ public class TransportCloseJobAction extends TransportTasksAction<TransportOpenJ
      *     <li>If the job is opening</li>
      * </ul>
      *
-     * If the job is already closed an empty Optional is returned.
      * @param jobId Job Id
      * @param mlMetadata ML MetaData
      * @param tasks Persistent tasks
diff --git a/plugin/ml/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/action/TransportOpenJobAction.java b/plugin/ml/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/action/TransportOpenJobAction.java
index 3f011604a96..4d22e98498b 100644
--- a/plugin/ml/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/action/TransportOpenJobAction.java
+++ b/plugin/ml/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/action/TransportOpenJobAction.java
@@ -583,6 +583,14 @@ public class TransportOpenJobAction extends TransportMasterNodeAction<OpenJobAct
         protected void nodeOperation(AllocatedPersistentTask task, OpenJobAction.JobParams params, Task.Status status) {
             JobTask jobTask = (JobTask) task;
             jobTask.autodetectProcessManager = autodetectProcessManager;
+            JobTaskStatus jobStateStatus = (JobTaskStatus) status;
+            // If the job is failed then the Persistent Task Service will
+            // try to restart it on a node restart. Exiting here leaves the
+            // job in the failed state and it must be force closed.
+            if (jobStateStatus != null && jobStateStatus.getState().isAnyOf(JobState.FAILED, JobState.CLOSING)) {
+                return;
+            }
+
             autodetectProcessManager.openJob(jobTask, e2 -> {
                 if (e2 == null) {
                     task.markAsCompleted();
diff --git a/plugin/ml/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/job/process/autodetect/AutodetectProcessManager.java b/plugin/ml/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/job/process/autodetect/AutodetectProcessManager.java
index 76887a2a8bf..375119c37d2 100644
--- a/plugin/ml/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/job/process/autodetect/AutodetectProcessManager.java
+++ b/plugin/ml/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/job/process/autodetect/AutodetectProcessManager.java
@@ -153,6 +153,13 @@ public class AutodetectProcessManager extends AbstractComponent {
                     .setFinish(true)
                     .setReason(reason)
                     .kill();
+        } else {
+            // If the process is missing but the task exists this is most likely
+            // because the job went into the failed state then the node restarted
+            // causing the task to be recreated but the failed process wasn't.
+            // We still need to remove the task from the TaskManager (which
+            // is what the kill would do)
+            jobTask.markAsCompleted();
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/plugin/ml/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/job/process/autodetect/AutodetectProcessManagerTests.java b/plugin/ml/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/job/process/autodetect/AutodetectProcessManagerTests.java
index c182d756aa0..c3e830553a2 100644
--- a/plugin/ml/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/job/process/autodetect/AutodetectProcessManagerTests.java
+++ b/plugin/ml/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/job/process/autodetect/AutodetectProcessManagerTests.java
@@ -529,6 +529,17 @@ public class AutodetectProcessManagerTests extends ESTestCase {
         verify(communicator).killProcess(false, false);
     }
 
+    public void testKillingAMissingJobFinishesTheTask() throws IOException {
+        AutodetectCommunicator communicator = mock(AutodetectCommunicator.class);
+        AutodetectProcessManager manager = createManager(communicator);
+        JobTask jobTask = mock(JobTask.class);
+        when(jobTask.getJobId()).thenReturn("foo");
+
+        manager.killProcess(jobTask, false, null);
+
+        verify(jobTask).markAsCompleted();
+    }
+
     public void testProcessData_GivenStateNotOpened() {
         AutodetectCommunicator communicator = mock(AutodetectCommunicator.class);
         doAnswer(invocationOnMock -> {