diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/TransportService.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/TransportService.java
index 410118b1771..a2ba7e45e1e 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/TransportService.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/TransportService.java
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ public class TransportService extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<TransportServic
             }
             clientHandlers.put(requestId, new RequestHolder<T>(handler, node, action, timeoutHandler));
             transport.sendRequest(node, requestId, action, request, options);
-        } catch (final Exception e) {
+        } catch (final Throwable e) {
             // usually happen either because we failed to connect to the node
             // or because we failed serializing the message
             clientHandlers.remove(requestId);
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/local/LocalTransport.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/local/LocalTransport.java
index f150d587d9b..c413b89908f 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/local/LocalTransport.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/local/LocalTransport.java
@@ -208,11 +208,11 @@ public class LocalTransport extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<Transport> implem
                     }
                 }
             }
-        } catch (Exception e) {
+        } catch (Throwable e) {
             if (sendRequestId != null) {
                 TransportResponseHandler handler = transportServiceAdapter.remove(sendRequestId);
                 if (handler != null) {
-                    handler.handleException(new RemoteTransportException(nodeName(), localAddress, action, e));
+                    handleException(handler, new RemoteTransportException(nodeName(), localAddress, action, e));
                 }
             } else {
                 logger.warn("Failed to receive message for action [" + action + "]", e);
@@ -246,7 +246,7 @@ public class LocalTransport extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<Transport> implem
         final TransportResponse response = handler.newInstance();
         try {
             response.readFrom(buffer);
-        } catch (Exception e) {
+        } catch (Throwable e) {
             handleException(handler, new TransportSerializationException("Failed to deserialize response of type [" + response.getClass().getName() + "]", e));
             return;
         }
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@ public class LocalTransport extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<Transport> implem
             public void run() {
                 try {
                     handler.handleResponse(response);
-                } catch (Exception e) {
+                } catch (Throwable e) {
                     handleException(handler, new ResponseHandlerFailureTransportException(e));
                 }
             }
@@ -279,6 +279,10 @@ public class LocalTransport extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<Transport> implem
             error = new RemoteTransportException("None remote transport exception", error);
         }
         final RemoteTransportException rtx = (RemoteTransportException) error;
-        handler.handleException(rtx);
+        try {
+            handler.handleException(rtx);
+        } catch (Throwable t) {
+            logger.error("failed to handle exception response [{}]", t, handler);
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/netty/MessageChannelHandler.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/netty/MessageChannelHandler.java
index 55f85b1f187..a3b9bc0a068 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/netty/MessageChannelHandler.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/transport/netty/MessageChannelHandler.java
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ public class MessageChannelHandler extends SimpleChannelUpstreamHandler {
         final TransportResponse response = handler.newInstance();
         try {
             response.readFrom(buffer);
-        } catch (Exception e) {
+        } catch (Throwable e) {
             handleException(handler, new TransportSerializationException("Failed to deserialize response of type [" + response.getClass().getName() + "]", e));
             return;
         }
@@ -176,7 +176,11 @@ public class MessageChannelHandler extends SimpleChannelUpstreamHandler {
         }
         final RemoteTransportException rtx = (RemoteTransportException) error;
         if (handler.executor() == ThreadPool.Names.SAME) {
-            handler.handleException(rtx);
+            try {
+                handler.handleException(rtx);
+            } catch (Throwable e) {
+                logger.error("failed to handle exception response [{}]", e, handler);
+            }
         } else {
             threadPool.executor(handler.executor()).execute(new Runnable() {
                 @Override
@@ -184,7 +188,7 @@ public class MessageChannelHandler extends SimpleChannelUpstreamHandler {
                     try {
                         handler.handleException(rtx);
                     } catch (Throwable e) {
-                        logger.error("Failed to handle exception response", e);
+                        logger.error("failed to handle exception response [{}]", e, handler);
                     }
                 }
             });