diff --git a/dist/IO/IO.xs b/dist/IO/IO.xs
index 91581064167c..fb009774c4e4 100644
--- a/dist/IO/IO.xs
+++ b/dist/IO/IO.xs
@@ -397,9 +397,9 @@ ferror(handle)
     CODE:
 	if (in)
 #ifdef PerlIO
-	    RETVAL = PerlIO_error(in) || (in != out && PerlIO_error(out));
+	    RETVAL = PerlIO_error(in) || (out && in != out && PerlIO_error(out));
 #else
-	    RETVAL = ferror(in) || (in != out && ferror(out));
+	    RETVAL = ferror(in) || (out && in != out && ferror(out));
 #endif
 	else {
 	    RETVAL = -1;
diff --git a/dist/IO/t/io_xs.t b/dist/IO/t/io_xs.t
index a8833b065123..4657088629fd 100644
--- a/dist/IO/t/io_xs.t
+++ b/dist/IO/t/io_xs.t
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ BEGIN {
     }
 }
 
-use Test::More tests => 8;
+use Test::More tests => 10;
 use IO::File;
 use IO::Seekable;
 
@@ -69,3 +69,11 @@ SKIP: {
     ok(!$fh->error, "check clearerr removed the error");
     close $fh; # silently ignore the error
 }
+
+{
+    # [GH #18019] IO::Handle->error misreported an error after successully
+    # opening a regular file for reading. It was a regression in GH #6799 fix.
+    ok(open(my $fh, '<', __FILE__), "a regular file opened for reading");
+    ok(!$fh->error, "no spurious error reported by error()");
+    close $fh;
+}