diff --git a/pkg/controller/statefulset/BUILD b/pkg/controller/statefulset/BUILD
index 52810172979..e0871ccb039 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/statefulset/BUILD
+++ b/pkg/controller/statefulset/BUILD
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ go_test(
         "//staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/labels:go_default_library",
         "//staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime:go_default_library",
         "//staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types:go_default_library",
+        "//staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/errors:go_default_library",
         "//staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/sets:go_default_library",
         "//staging/src/k8s.io/client-go/informers:go_default_library",
         "//staging/src/k8s.io/client-go/informers/apps/v1:go_default_library",
diff --git a/pkg/controller/statefulset/stateful_set_control.go b/pkg/controller/statefulset/stateful_set_control.go
index fdcda9175b7..49ad241e149 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/statefulset/stateful_set_control.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/statefulset/stateful_set_control.go
@@ -20,12 +20,12 @@ import (
 	"math"
 	"sort"
 
-	"k8s.io/klog"
-
 	apps "k8s.io/api/apps/v1"
-	"k8s.io/api/core/v1"
+	v1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	utilerrors "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/errors"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/tools/record"
+	"k8s.io/klog"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/controller/history"
 )
 
@@ -81,22 +81,34 @@ func (ssc *defaultStatefulSetControl) UpdateStatefulSet(set *apps.StatefulSet, p
 	}
 	history.SortControllerRevisions(revisions)
 
+	currentRevision, updateRevision, err := ssc.performUpdate(set, pods, revisions)
+	if err != nil {
+		return utilerrors.NewAggregate([]error{err, ssc.truncateHistory(set, pods, revisions, currentRevision, updateRevision)})
+	}
+
+	// maintain the set's revision history limit
+	return ssc.truncateHistory(set, pods, revisions, currentRevision, updateRevision)
+}
+
+func (ssc *defaultStatefulSetControl) performUpdate(
+	set *apps.StatefulSet, pods []*v1.Pod, revisions []*apps.ControllerRevision) (*apps.ControllerRevision, *apps.ControllerRevision, error) {
+
 	// get the current, and update revisions
 	currentRevision, updateRevision, collisionCount, err := ssc.getStatefulSetRevisions(set, revisions)
 	if err != nil {
-		return err
+		return currentRevision, updateRevision, err
 	}
 
 	// perform the main update function and get the status
 	status, err := ssc.updateStatefulSet(set, currentRevision, updateRevision, collisionCount, pods)
 	if err != nil {
-		return err
+		return currentRevision, updateRevision, err
 	}
 
 	// update the set's status
 	err = ssc.updateStatefulSetStatus(set, status)
 	if err != nil {
-		return err
+		return currentRevision, updateRevision, err
 	}
 
 	klog.V(4).Infof("StatefulSet %s/%s pod status replicas=%d ready=%d current=%d updated=%d",
@@ -113,8 +125,7 @@ func (ssc *defaultStatefulSetControl) UpdateStatefulSet(set *apps.StatefulSet, p
 		status.CurrentRevision,
 		status.UpdateRevision)
 
-	// maintain the set's revision history limit
-	return ssc.truncateHistory(set, pods, revisions, currentRevision, updateRevision)
+	return currentRevision, updateRevision, nil
 }
 
 func (ssc *defaultStatefulSetControl) ListRevisions(set *apps.StatefulSet) ([]*apps.ControllerRevision, error) {
@@ -151,7 +162,13 @@ func (ssc *defaultStatefulSetControl) truncateHistory(
 	update *apps.ControllerRevision) error {
 	history := make([]*apps.ControllerRevision, 0, len(revisions))
 	// mark all live revisions
-	live := map[string]bool{current.Name: true, update.Name: true}
+	live := map[string]bool{}
+	if current != nil {
+		live[current.Name] = true
+	}
+	if update != nil {
+		live[update.Name] = true
+	}
 	for i := range pods {
 		live[getPodRevision(pods[i])] = true
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/controller/statefulset/stateful_set_control_test.go b/pkg/controller/statefulset/stateful_set_control_test.go
index 36a11a04cfe..9b222ee4375 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/statefulset/stateful_set_control_test.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/statefulset/stateful_set_control_test.go
@@ -29,10 +29,11 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	apps "k8s.io/api/apps/v1"
-	"k8s.io/api/core/v1"
+	v1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	apierrors "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/labels"
+	utilerrors "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/errors"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/informers"
 	appsinformers "k8s.io/client-go/informers/apps/v1"
 	coreinformers "k8s.io/client-go/informers/core/v1"
@@ -302,7 +303,7 @@ func CreatePodFailure(t *testing.T, set *apps.StatefulSet, invariants invariantF
 	defer close(stop)
 	spc.SetCreateStatefulPodError(apierrors.NewInternalError(errors.New("API server failed")), 2)
 
-	if err := scaleUpStatefulSetControl(set, ssc, spc, invariants); !apierrors.IsInternalError(err) {
+	if err := scaleUpStatefulSetControl(set, ssc, spc, invariants); err != nil && isOrHasInternalError(err) {
 		t.Errorf("StatefulSetControl did not return InternalError found %s", err)
 	}
 	if err := scaleUpStatefulSetControl(set, ssc, spc, invariants); err != nil {
@@ -362,7 +363,7 @@ func UpdatePodFailure(t *testing.T, set *apps.StatefulSet, invariants invariantF
 	spc.podsIndexer.Update(pods[0])
 
 	// now it should fail
-	if err := ssc.UpdateStatefulSet(set, pods); !apierrors.IsInternalError(err) {
+	if err := ssc.UpdateStatefulSet(set, pods); err != nil && isOrHasInternalError(err) {
 		t.Errorf("StatefulSetControl did not return InternalError found %s", err)
 	}
 }
@@ -373,7 +374,7 @@ func UpdateSetStatusFailure(t *testing.T, set *apps.StatefulSet, invariants inva
 	defer close(stop)
 	ssu.SetUpdateStatefulSetStatusError(apierrors.NewInternalError(errors.New("API server failed")), 2)
 
-	if err := scaleUpStatefulSetControl(set, ssc, spc, invariants); !apierrors.IsInternalError(err) {
+	if err := scaleUpStatefulSetControl(set, ssc, spc, invariants); err != nil && isOrHasInternalError(err) {
 		t.Errorf("StatefulSetControl did not return InternalError found %s", err)
 	}
 	if err := scaleUpStatefulSetControl(set, ssc, spc, invariants); err != nil {
@@ -421,7 +422,7 @@ func PodRecreateDeleteFailure(t *testing.T, set *apps.StatefulSet, invariants in
 	pods[0].Status.Phase = v1.PodFailed
 	spc.podsIndexer.Update(pods[0])
 	spc.SetDeleteStatefulPodError(apierrors.NewInternalError(errors.New("API server failed")), 0)
-	if err := ssc.UpdateStatefulSet(set, pods); !apierrors.IsInternalError(err) {
+	if err := ssc.UpdateStatefulSet(set, pods); err != nil && isOrHasInternalError(err) {
 		t.Errorf("StatefulSet failed to %s", err)
 	}
 	if err := invariants(set, spc); err != nil {
@@ -459,7 +460,7 @@ func TestStatefulSetControlScaleDownDeleteError(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	*set.Spec.Replicas = 0
 	spc.SetDeleteStatefulPodError(apierrors.NewInternalError(errors.New("API server failed")), 2)
-	if err := scaleDownStatefulSetControl(set, ssc, spc, invariants); !apierrors.IsInternalError(err) {
+	if err := scaleDownStatefulSetControl(set, ssc, spc, invariants); err != nil && isOrHasInternalError(err) {
 		t.Errorf("StatefulSetControl failed to throw error on delete %s", err)
 	}
 	if err := scaleDownStatefulSetControl(set, ssc, spc, invariants); err != nil {
@@ -1201,6 +1202,42 @@ func TestStatefulSetControlRollingUpdateWithPartition(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestStatefulSetHonorRevisionHistoryLimit(t *testing.T) {
+	invariants := assertMonotonicInvariants
+	set := newStatefulSet(3)
+	client := fake.NewSimpleClientset(set)
+	spc, ssu, ssc, stop := setupController(client)
+	defer close(stop)
+
+	if err := scaleUpStatefulSetControl(set, ssc, spc, invariants); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Failed to turn up StatefulSet : %s", err)
+	}
+	var err error
+	set, err = spc.setsLister.StatefulSets(set.Namespace).Get(set.Name)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Error getting updated StatefulSet: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	for i := 0; i < int(*set.Spec.RevisionHistoryLimit)+5; i++ {
+		set.Spec.Template.Spec.Containers[0].Image = fmt.Sprintf("foo-%d", i)
+		ssu.SetUpdateStatefulSetStatusError(apierrors.NewInternalError(errors.New("API server failed")), 2)
+		updateStatefulSetControl(set, ssc, spc, assertUpdateInvariants)
+		set, err = spc.setsLister.StatefulSets(set.Namespace).Get(set.Name)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("Error getting updated StatefulSet: %v", err)
+		}
+		revisions, err := ssc.ListRevisions(set)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("Error listing revisions: %v", err)
+		}
+		// the extra 2 revisions are `currentRevision` and `updateRevision`
+		// They're considered as `live`, and truncateHistory only cleans up non-live revisions
+		if len(revisions) > int(*set.Spec.RevisionHistoryLimit)+2 {
+			t.Fatalf("%s: %d greater than limit %d", "", len(revisions), *set.Spec.RevisionHistoryLimit)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestStatefulSetControlLimitsHistory(t *testing.T) {
 	type testcase struct {
 		name       string
@@ -2135,3 +2172,8 @@ func newRevisionOrDie(set *apps.StatefulSet, revision int64) *apps.ControllerRev
 	}
 	return rev
 }
+
+func isOrHasInternalError(err error) bool {
+	agg, ok := err.(utilerrors.Aggregate)
+	return !ok && !apierrors.IsInternalError(err) || ok && len(agg.Errors()) > 0 && !apierrors.IsInternalError(agg.Errors()[0])
+}