diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/CHANGES.txt b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/CHANGES.txt
index da39fa5c1d0..dcaa108341c 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/CHANGES.txt
@@ -221,6 +221,9 @@ Release 2.2.1 - UNRELEASED
     HDFS-5035.  getFileLinkStatus and rename do not correctly check permissions
     of symlinks.  (Andrew Wang via Colin Patrick McCabe)
 
+    HDFS-5456. NameNode startup progress creates new steps if caller attempts to
+    create a counter for a step that doesn't already exist.  (cnauroth)
+
 Release 2.2.0 - 2013-10-13
 
   INCOMPATIBLE CHANGES
diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/namenode/startupprogress/StartupProgress.java b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/namenode/startupprogress/StartupProgress.java
index f242bc57119..33d1e220424 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/namenode/startupprogress/StartupProgress.java
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/namenode/startupprogress/StartupProgress.java
@@ -149,8 +149,8 @@ public Status getStatus(Phase phase) {
    * @return Counter associated with phase and step
    */
   public Counter getCounter(Phase phase, Step step) {
-    final StepTracking tracking = lazyInitStep(phase, step);
     if (!isComplete()) {
+      final StepTracking tracking = lazyInitStep(phase, step);
       return new Counter() {
         @Override
         public void increment() {
diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/namenode/startupprogress/TestStartupProgress.java b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/namenode/startupprogress/TestStartupProgress.java
index 6172be68b74..db778a3dafb 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/namenode/startupprogress/TestStartupProgress.java
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/namenode/startupprogress/TestStartupProgress.java
@@ -179,6 +179,14 @@ public void testFrozenAfterStartupCompletes() {
     startupProgress.endStep(LOADING_FSIMAGE, step);
     startupProgress.endPhase(LOADING_FSIMAGE);
 
+    // Also attempt a whole new step that wasn't used last time.
+    startupProgress.beginPhase(LOADING_EDITS);
+    Step newStep = new Step("file1");
+    startupProgress.beginStep(LOADING_EDITS, newStep);
+    incrementCounter(startupProgress, LOADING_EDITS, newStep, 100L);
+    startupProgress.endStep(LOADING_EDITS, newStep);
+    startupProgress.endPhase(LOADING_EDITS);
+
     StartupProgressView after = startupProgress.createView();
 
     // Expect that data was frozen after completion of entire startup process, so
@@ -200,6 +208,7 @@ public void testFrozenAfterStartupCompletes() {
       after.getTotal(LOADING_FSIMAGE));
     assertEquals(before.getTotal(LOADING_FSIMAGE, step),
       after.getTotal(LOADING_FSIMAGE, step));
+    assertFalse(after.getSteps(LOADING_EDITS).iterator().hasNext());
   }
 
   @Test(timeout=10000)