diff --git a/src/pkg/net/http/client_test.go b/src/pkg/net/http/client_test.go
index c20af5e573..9a45b147ef 100644
--- a/src/pkg/net/http/client_test.go
+++ b/src/pkg/net/http/client_test.go
@@ -219,6 +219,9 @@ func TestRedirects(t *testing.T) {
 		return checkErr
 	}}
 	res, err := c.Get(ts.URL)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Get error: %v", err)
+	}
 	finalUrl := res.Request.URL.String()
 	if e, g := "<nil>", fmt.Sprintf("%v", err); e != g {
 		t.Errorf("with custom client, expected error %q, got %q", e, g)
@@ -335,7 +338,10 @@ func TestRedirectCookiesJar(t *testing.T) {
 	c.Jar = &TestJar{perURL: make(map[string][]*Cookie)}
 	u, _ := url.Parse(ts.URL)
 	c.Jar.SetCookies(u, []*Cookie{expectedCookies[0]})
-	resp, _ := c.Get(ts.URL)
+	resp, err := c.Get(ts.URL)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Get: %v", err)
+	}
 	matchReturnedCookies(t, expectedCookies, resp.Cookies())
 }
 
diff --git a/src/pkg/net/http/transfer.go b/src/pkg/net/http/transfer.go
index 1fc1e63a96..9833dddf2b 100644
--- a/src/pkg/net/http/transfer.go
+++ b/src/pkg/net/http/transfer.go
@@ -567,14 +567,22 @@ func seeUpcomingDoubleCRLF(r *bufio.Reader) bool {
 	return false
 }
 
+var errTrailerEOF = errors.New("http: unexpected EOF reading trailer")
+
 func (b *body) readTrailer() error {
 	// The common case, since nobody uses trailers.
-	buf, _ := b.r.Peek(2)
+	buf, err := b.r.Peek(2)
 	if bytes.Equal(buf, singleCRLF) {
 		b.r.ReadByte()
 		b.r.ReadByte()
 		return nil
 	}
+	if len(buf) < 2 {
+		return errTrailerEOF
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
 
 	// Make sure there's a header terminator coming up, to prevent
 	// a DoS with an unbounded size Trailer.  It's not easy to
@@ -590,6 +598,9 @@ func (b *body) readTrailer() error {
 
 	hdr, err := textproto.NewReader(b.r).ReadMIMEHeader()
 	if err != nil {
+		if err == io.EOF {
+			return errTrailerEOF
+		}
 		return err
 	}
 	switch rr := b.hdr.(type) {
diff --git a/src/pkg/net/http/transfer_test.go b/src/pkg/net/http/transfer_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e903c94c1f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/pkg/net/http/transfer_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+// Copyright 2012 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+package http
+
+import (
+	"bufio"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestBodyReadBadTrailer(t *testing.T) {
+	b := &body{
+		Reader: strings.NewReader("foobar"),
+		hdr:    true, // force reading the trailer
+		r:      bufio.NewReader(strings.NewReader("")),
+	}
+	buf := make([]byte, 7)
+	n, err := b.Read(buf[:3])
+	got := string(buf[:n])
+	if got != "foo" || err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf(`first Read = %n (%q), %v; want 3 ("foo")`, n, got, err)
+	}
+
+	n, err = b.Read(buf[:])
+	got = string(buf[:n])
+	if got != "bar" || err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf(`second Read = %n (%q), %v; want 3 ("bar")`, n, got, err)
+	}
+
+	n, err = b.Read(buf[:])
+	got = string(buf[:n])
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Errorf("final Read was successful (%q), expected error from trailer read", got)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/src/pkg/net/http/transport.go b/src/pkg/net/http/transport.go
index e8d7b527f5..38ea6f7ba8 100644
--- a/src/pkg/net/http/transport.go
+++ b/src/pkg/net/http/transport.go
@@ -605,6 +605,9 @@ func (pc *persistConn) readLoop() {
 			alive = false
 		}
 
+		// TODO(bradfitz): this hasBody conflicts with the defition
+		// above which excludes HEAD requests.  Is this one
+		// incomplete?
 		hasBody := resp != nil && resp.ContentLength != 0
 		var waitForBodyRead chan bool
 		if hasBody {
@@ -806,11 +809,6 @@ func canonicalAddr(url *url.URL) string {
 	return addr
 }
 
-func responseIsKeepAlive(res *Response) bool {
-	// TODO: implement.  for now just always shutting down the connection.
-	return false
-}
-
 // bodyEOFSignal wraps a ReadCloser but runs fn (if non-nil) at most
 // once, right before the final Read() or Close() call returns, but after
 // EOF has been seen.