diff --git a/src/nvim/search.c b/src/nvim/search.c
index d2cbbec4c9..fe0bceef62 100644
--- a/src/nvim/search.c
+++ b/src/nvim/search.c
@@ -1282,9 +1282,10 @@ int do_search(oparg_T *oap, int dirc, int search_delim, char *pat, size_t patlen
         // it would be blanked out again very soon.  Show it on the
         // left, but do reverse the text.
         if (curwin->w_p_rl && *curwin->w_p_rlc == 's') {
-          char *r = reverse_text(trunc != NULL ? trunc : msgbuf);
+          char *r = reverse_text(msgbuf);
           xfree(msgbuf);
           msgbuf = r;
+          msgbuflen = strlen(msgbuf);
           // move reversed text to beginning of buffer
           while (*r == ' ') {
             r++;
diff --git a/test/old/testdir/crash/reverse_text_overflow b/test/old/testdir/crash/reverse_text_overflow
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..dfbfe2c9a6
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/old/testdir/crash/reverse_text_overflow differ
diff --git a/test/old/testdir/test_crash.vim b/test/old/testdir/test_crash.vim
index 9aef245026..834a0c014c 100644
--- a/test/old/testdir/test_crash.vim
+++ b/test/old/testdir/test_crash.vim
@@ -150,6 +150,13 @@ func Test_crash1_2()
     \ ' ; echo "crash 4: [OK]" >> '.. result .. "\<cr>")
   call TermWait(buf, 150)
 
+  let file = 'crash/reverse_text_overflow'
+  let cmn_args = "%s -u NONE -i NONE -n -X -m -n -e -s -S %s -c ':qa!'"
+  let args = printf(cmn_args, vim, file)
+  call term_sendkeys(buf, args ..
+    \ ' ; echo "crash 5: [OK]" >> '.. result .. "\<cr>")
+  call TermWait(buf, 150)
+
   " clean up
   exe buf .. "bw!"
   exe "sp " .. result
@@ -158,6 +165,7 @@ func Test_crash1_2()
       \ 'crash 2: [OK]',
       \ 'crash 3: [OK]',
       \ 'crash 4: [OK]',
+      \ 'crash 5: [OK]',
       \ ]
 
   call assert_equal(expected, getline(1, '$'))