diff --git a/packages/zone.js/lib/browser/browser.ts b/packages/zone.js/lib/browser/browser.ts
index 3023e1941d..bf6c419528 100644
--- a/packages/zone.js/lib/browser/browser.ts
+++ b/packages/zone.js/lib/browser/browser.ts
@@ -149,8 +149,12 @@ Zone.__load_patch('XHR', (global: any, Zone: ZoneType) => {
             // check whether the xhr has registered onload listener
             // if that is the case, the task should invoke after all
             // onload listeners finish.
+            // Also if the request failed without response (status = 0), the load event handler
+            // will not be triggered, in that case, we should also invoke the placeholder callback
+            // to close the XMLHttpRequest::send macroTask.
+            // https://github.com/angular/angular/issues/38795
             const loadTasks = target[Zone.__symbol__('loadfalse')];
-            if (loadTasks && loadTasks.length > 0) {
+            if (target.status !== 0 && loadTasks && loadTasks.length > 0) {
               const oriInvoke = task.invoke;
               task.invoke = function() {
                 // need to load the tasks again, because in other
diff --git a/packages/zone.js/test/browser/XMLHttpRequest.spec.ts b/packages/zone.js/test/browser/XMLHttpRequest.spec.ts
index 3152c8dffe..da23b072ff 100644
--- a/packages/zone.js/test/browser/XMLHttpRequest.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/zone.js/test/browser/XMLHttpRequest.spec.ts
@@ -268,6 +268,30 @@ describe('XMLHttpRequest', function() {
        });
      });
 
+  it('should close xhr request if error happened when connect', function(done) {
+    const logs: boolean[] = [];
+    Zone.current
+        .fork({
+          name: 'xhr',
+          onHasTask:
+              (delegate: ZoneDelegate, curr: Zone, target: Zone, taskState: HasTaskState) => {
+                if (taskState.change === 'macroTask') {
+                  logs.push(taskState.macroTask);
+                }
+                return delegate.hasTask(target, taskState);
+              }
+        })
+        .run(function() {
+          const req = new XMLHttpRequest();
+          req.open('get', 'http://notexists.url', true);
+          req.send();
+          req.addEventListener('error', () => {
+            expect(logs).toEqual([true, false]);
+            done();
+          });
+        });
+  });
+
   it('should trigger readystatechange if xhr request trigger cors error', (done) => {
     const req = new XMLHttpRequest();
     let err: any = null;