diff --git a/homeassistant/components/recorder/core.py b/homeassistant/components/recorder/core.py
index 4e5ac04c3bf..b699ea324f6 100644
--- a/homeassistant/components/recorder/core.py
+++ b/homeassistant/components/recorder/core.py
@@ -1178,7 +1178,15 @@ class Recorder(threading.Thread):
 
     def _handle_database_error(self, err: Exception) -> bool:
         """Handle a database error that may result in moving away the corrupt db."""
-        if isinstance(err.__cause__, sqlite3.DatabaseError):
+        if (
+            (cause := err.__cause__)
+            and isinstance(cause, sqlite3.DatabaseError)
+            and (cause_str := str(cause))
+            # Make sure we do not move away a database when its only locked
+            # externally by another process. sqlite does not give us a named
+            # exception for this so we have to check the error message.
+            and ("malformed" in cause_str or "not a database" in cause_str)
+        ):
             _LOGGER.exception(
                 "Unrecoverable sqlite3 database corruption detected: %s", err
             )
diff --git a/tests/components/recorder/test_init.py b/tests/components/recorder/test_init.py
index 52947ce0c19..e1b22b2c245 100644
--- a/tests/components/recorder/test_init.py
+++ b/tests/components/recorder/test_init.py
@@ -1707,7 +1707,9 @@ async def test_database_corruption_while_running(
     hass.states.async_set("test.lost", "on", {})
 
     sqlite3_exception = DatabaseError("statement", {}, [])
-    sqlite3_exception.__cause__ = sqlite3.DatabaseError()
+    sqlite3_exception.__cause__ = sqlite3.DatabaseError(
+        "database disk image is malformed"
+    )
 
     await async_wait_recording_done(hass)
     with patch.object(
diff --git a/tests/components/recorder/test_migrate.py b/tests/components/recorder/test_migrate.py
index cb8e402f65a..d5b26eba680 100644
--- a/tests/components/recorder/test_migrate.py
+++ b/tests/components/recorder/test_migrate.py
@@ -165,7 +165,9 @@ async def test_database_migration_encounters_corruption(
     assert recorder.util.async_migration_in_progress(hass) is False
 
     sqlite3_exception = DatabaseError("statement", {}, [])
-    sqlite3_exception.__cause__ = sqlite3.DatabaseError()
+    sqlite3_exception.__cause__ = sqlite3.DatabaseError(
+        "database disk image is malformed"
+    )
 
     with (
         patch("homeassistant.components.recorder.ALLOW_IN_MEMORY_DB", True),
diff --git a/tests/components/recorder/test_purge.py b/tests/components/recorder/test_purge.py
index 1ccbaada265..1167fd4de73 100644
--- a/tests/components/recorder/test_purge.py
+++ b/tests/components/recorder/test_purge.py
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ async def test_purge_old_states_encouters_database_corruption(
     await async_wait_recording_done(hass)
 
     sqlite3_exception = DatabaseError("statement", {}, [])
-    sqlite3_exception.__cause__ = sqlite3.DatabaseError()
+    sqlite3_exception.__cause__ = sqlite3.DatabaseError("not a database")
 
     with (
         patch(
diff --git a/tests/components/recorder/test_purge_v32_schema.py b/tests/components/recorder/test_purge_v32_schema.py
index fb636cfa9dc..8a641a2ce7f 100644
--- a/tests/components/recorder/test_purge_v32_schema.py
+++ b/tests/components/recorder/test_purge_v32_schema.py
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ async def test_purge_old_states_encouters_database_corruption(
     await async_wait_recording_done(hass)
 
     sqlite3_exception = DatabaseError("statement", {}, [])
-    sqlite3_exception.__cause__ = sqlite3.DatabaseError()
+    sqlite3_exception.__cause__ = sqlite3.DatabaseError("not a database")
 
     with (
         patch(