diff --git a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/CHANGES.txt b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/CHANGES.txt
index 9a750af999e..9e98ac96e1d 100644
--- a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/CHANGES.txt
@@ -558,6 +558,9 @@ Release 0.23.4 - UNRELEASED
     MAPREDUCE-4691. Historyserver can report "Unknown job" after RM says job
     has completed (Robert Joseph Evans via jlowe)
 
+    MAPREDUCE-4689. JobClient.getMapTaskReports on failed job results in NPE
+    (jlowe via bobby)
+
 Release 0.23.3 - UNRELEASED
 
   INCOMPATIBLE CHANGES
diff --git a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-hs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/hs/CompletedTask.java b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-hs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/hs/CompletedTask.java
index 669eaa4d6f7..830b64f1ad3 100644
--- a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-hs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/hs/CompletedTask.java
+++ b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-hs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/hs/CompletedTask.java
@@ -42,6 +42,8 @@ import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.util.Records;
 
 public class CompletedTask implements Task {
 
+  private static final Counters EMPTY_COUNTERS = new Counters();
+
   private final TaskId taskId;
   private final TaskInfo taskInfo;
   private TaskReport report;
@@ -124,7 +126,11 @@ public class CompletedTask implements Task {
     report.setFinishTime(taskInfo.getFinishTime());
     report.setTaskState(getState());
     report.setProgress(getProgress());
-    report.setCounters(TypeConverter.toYarn(getCounters()));
+    Counters counters = getCounters();
+    if (counters == null) {
+      counters = EMPTY_COUNTERS;
+    }
+    report.setCounters(TypeConverter.toYarn(counters));
     if (successfulAttempt != null) {
       report.setSuccessfulAttempt(successfulAttempt);
     }
diff --git a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-hs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/hs/TestJobHistoryParsing.java b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-hs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/hs/TestJobHistoryParsing.java
index b596a2123a7..f9acb1a3821 100644
--- a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-hs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/hs/TestJobHistoryParsing.java
+++ b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-hs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/hs/TestJobHistoryParsing.java
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.jobhistory.TaskFinishedEvent;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.v2.api.records.JobId;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.v2.api.records.JobState;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.v2.api.records.TaskAttemptId;
+import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.v2.api.records.TaskId;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.v2.api.records.TaskState;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.v2.app.MRApp;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.v2.app.job.Job;
@@ -402,6 +403,63 @@ public class TestJobHistoryParsing {
     }
   }
   
+  @Test
+  public void testCountersForFailedTask() throws Exception {
+    LOG.info("STARTING testCountersForFailedTask");
+    try {
+    Configuration conf = new Configuration();
+    conf
+        .setClass(
+            CommonConfigurationKeysPublic.NET_TOPOLOGY_NODE_SWITCH_MAPPING_IMPL_KEY,
+            MyResolver.class, DNSToSwitchMapping.class);
+    RackResolver.init(conf);
+    MRApp app = new MRAppWithHistoryWithFailedTask(2, 1, true,
+        this.getClass().getName(), true);
+    app.submit(conf);
+    Job job = app.getContext().getAllJobs().values().iterator().next();
+    JobId jobId = job.getID();
+    app.waitForState(job, JobState.FAILED);
+
+    // make sure all events are flushed
+    app.waitForState(Service.STATE.STOPPED);
+
+    String jobhistoryDir = JobHistoryUtils
+        .getHistoryIntermediateDoneDirForUser(conf);
+    JobHistory jobHistory = new JobHistory();
+    jobHistory.init(conf);
+
+    JobIndexInfo jobIndexInfo = jobHistory.getJobFileInfo(jobId)
+        .getJobIndexInfo();
+    String jobhistoryFileName = FileNameIndexUtils
+        .getDoneFileName(jobIndexInfo);
+
+    Path historyFilePath = new Path(jobhistoryDir, jobhistoryFileName);
+    FSDataInputStream in = null;
+    FileContext fc = null;
+    try {
+      fc = FileContext.getFileContext(conf);
+      in = fc.open(fc.makeQualified(historyFilePath));
+    } catch (IOException ioe) {
+      LOG.info("Can not open history file: " + historyFilePath, ioe);
+      throw (new Exception("Can not open History File"));
+    }
+
+    JobHistoryParser parser = new JobHistoryParser(in);
+    JobInfo jobInfo = parser.parse();
+    Exception parseException = parser.getParseException();
+    Assert.assertNull("Caught an expected exception " + parseException,
+        parseException);
+    for (Map.Entry<TaskID,TaskInfo> entry : jobInfo.getAllTasks().entrySet()) {
+      TaskId yarnTaskID = TypeConverter.toYarn(entry.getKey());
+      CompletedTask ct = new CompletedTask(yarnTaskID, entry.getValue());
+      Assert.assertNotNull("completed task report has null counters",
+          ct.getReport().getCounters());
+    }
+    } finally {
+      LOG.info("FINISHED testCountersForFailedTask");
+    }
+  }
+
   static class MRAppWithHistoryWithFailedAttempt extends MRAppWithHistory {
 
     public MRAppWithHistoryWithFailedAttempt(int maps, int reduces, boolean autoComplete,
@@ -422,6 +480,26 @@ public class TestJobHistoryParsing {
     }
   }
 
+  static class MRAppWithHistoryWithFailedTask extends MRAppWithHistory {
+
+    public MRAppWithHistoryWithFailedTask(int maps, int reduces, boolean autoComplete,
+        String testName, boolean cleanOnStart) {
+      super(maps, reduces, autoComplete, testName, cleanOnStart);
+    }
+
+    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+    @Override
+    protected void attemptLaunched(TaskAttemptId attemptID) {
+      if (attemptID.getTaskId().getId() == 0) {
+        getContext().getEventHandler().handle(
+            new TaskAttemptEvent(attemptID, TaskAttemptEventType.TA_FAILMSG));
+      } else {
+        getContext().getEventHandler().handle(
+            new TaskAttemptEvent(attemptID, TaskAttemptEventType.TA_DONE));
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
     TestJobHistoryParsing t = new TestJobHistoryParsing();
     t.testHistoryParsing();