diff --git a/core/src/main/java/hudson/model/Run.java b/core/src/main/java/hudson/model/Run.java
index d71111691b..7ca77ed0b7 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/hudson/model/Run.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/hudson/model/Run.java
@@ -1186,9 +1186,6 @@ public abstract class Run <JobT extends Job<JobT,RunT>,RunT extends Run<JobT,Run
      */
     protected void onStartBuilding() {
         state = State.BUILDING;
-        // start with the best possible value, and code that calls setResult() can progressively set
-        // worse results.
-        result = Result.SUCCESS;
         RunnerStack.INSTANCE.push(runner);
     }
 
@@ -1206,6 +1203,11 @@ public abstract class Run <JobT extends Job<JobT,RunT>,RunT extends Run<JobT,Run
         }
         runner = null;
         RunnerStack.INSTANCE.pop();
+	if (result==null) {
+	    result = Result.FAILURE;
+	    LOGGER.warning(toString()+": No build result is set, so marking as failure. This shouldn't happen.");
+        }
+
         RunListener.fireFinalized(this);
     }
 
diff --git a/test/src/test/java/hudson/maven/MavenBuildTest.java b/test/src/test/java/hudson/maven/MavenBuildTest.java
index 437f006f96..abc3fe9a76 100644
--- a/test/src/test/java/hudson/maven/MavenBuildTest.java
+++ b/test/src/test/java/hudson/maven/MavenBuildTest.java
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import org.jvnet.hudson.test.Bug;
 import org.jvnet.hudson.test.ExtractResourceSCM;
 import hudson.Launcher;
 import hudson.model.BuildListener;
+import hudson.model.Result;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 
@@ -16,7 +17,7 @@ public class MavenBuildTest extends HudsonTestCase {
      * NPE in {@code build.getProject().getWorkspace()} for {@link MavenBuild}.
      */
     @Bug(4192)
-    public void testMavenRun() throws Exception {
+    public void testMavenWorkspaceExists() throws Exception {
         configureDefaultMaven();
         MavenModuleSet m = createMavenProject();
         m.getReporters().add(new TestReporter());
@@ -24,6 +25,20 @@ public class MavenBuildTest extends HudsonTestCase {
         assertBuildStatusSuccess(m.scheduleBuild2(0).get());
     }
 
+    /**
+     * {@link Result} getting set to SUCCESS even if there's a test failure, when the test failure
+     * does not happen in the final task segment.
+     */
+    @Bug(4177)
+    public void testTestFailureInEarlyTaskSegment() throws Exception {
+        configureDefaultMaven();
+        MavenModuleSet m = createMavenProject();
+	m.setGoals("clean install findbugs:findbugs");
+	//        m.getReporters().add(new TestReporter());
+        m.setScm(new ExtractResourceSCM(getClass().getResource("maven-test-failure-findbugs.zip")));
+        assertBuildStatus(Result.UNSTABLE, m.scheduleBuild2(0).get());
+    }
+
     private static class TestReporter extends MavenReporter {
         @Override
         public boolean end(MavenBuild build, Launcher launcher, BuildListener listener) throws InterruptedException, IOException {
diff --git a/test/src/test/resources/hudson/maven/maven-test-failure-findbugs.zip b/test/src/test/resources/hudson/maven/maven-test-failure-findbugs.zip
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..d39dabd8f4
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/src/test/resources/hudson/maven/maven-test-failure-findbugs.zip differ