diff --git a/lib/child_process.js b/lib/child_process.js
index 4af4d4f4139..a1eac7744dd 100644
--- a/lib/child_process.js
+++ b/lib/child_process.js
@@ -158,7 +158,9 @@ function setupChannel(target, channel) {
 
   target.connected = true;
   target.disconnect = function() {
-      if (!this.connected) return;
+      if (!this.connected) {
+        this.emit('error', new Error('IPC channel is already disconnected'));
+      }
 
       // do not allow messages to be written
       this.connected = false;
@@ -231,9 +233,6 @@ exports.fork = function(modulePath /*, args, options*/) {
 
   if (!options.thread) setupChannel(child, options.stdinStream);
 
-  // Disconnect when the child process exits.
-  child.once('exit', child.disconnect.bind(child));
-
   return child;
 };
 
diff --git a/test/simple/test-child-process-disconnect.js b/test/simple/test-child-process-disconnect.js
index adb008d25fa..e490c0848d2 100644
--- a/test/simple/test-child-process-disconnect.js
+++ b/test/simple/test-child-process-disconnect.js
@@ -85,6 +85,7 @@ if (process.argv[2] === 'child') {
         // ready to be disconnected
         if (data === 'ready') {
           child.disconnect();
+          assert.throws(child.disconnect.bind(child), Error);
           return;
         }