diff --git a/avocado/plugins/xunit.py b/avocado/plugins/xunit.py
index d865f297b503ba32425b27bfc375b2cdc7d2131a..b34ad7d48acf234e4207b6f677aead7e804f84af 100644
--- a/avocado/plugins/xunit.py
+++ b/avocado/plugins/xunit.py
@@ -38,7 +38,13 @@ class XmlResult(object):
         return quoteattr(attrib)
 
     def _escape_cdata(self, cdata):
-        return cdata.replace(']]>', ']]>]]&gt;<![CDATA[')
+        try:
+            return cdata.replace(']]>', ']]>]]&gt;<![CDATA[')
+        except AttributeError:
+            try:
+                str(cdata).replace(']]>', ']]>]]&gt;<![CDATA[')
+            except TypeError:
+                return 'ERROR: UnparsableObject'
 
     def get_contents(self):
         return '\n'.join(self.xml)
diff --git a/avocado/test.py b/avocado/test.py
index 17a85d3d93cb5f3c2183703d0a719788064f472a..7d9765130cdf74d54297a653663799c7bbc80fc9 100644
--- a/avocado/test.py
+++ b/avocado/test.py
@@ -213,25 +213,19 @@ class Test(unittest.TestCase):
         """
         if self.running and self.time_start:
             self.update_time_elapsed()
-        orig = dict(self.__dict__)
-        d = {}
         preserve_attr = ['basedir', 'debugdir', 'depsdir',
                          'fail_reason', 'logdir', 'logfile', 'name',
                          'resultsdir', 'srcdir', 'status', 'sysinfodir',
                          'tag', 'tagged_name', 'text_output', 'time_elapsed',
                          'traceback', 'workdir', 'whiteboard', 'time_start',
-                         'time_end', 'running', 'paused', 'paused_msg']
-        convert_attr = ['fail_class']
-        for key in sorted(orig):
-            if key in preserve_attr:
-                d[key] = orig[key]
-            elif key in convert_attr:
-                d[key] = str(orig[key])
-        d['params'] = dict(orig['params'])
-        d['class_name'] = self.__class__.__name__
-        d['job_logdir'] = self.job.logdir
-        d['job_unique_id'] = self.job.unique_id
-        return d
+                         'time_end', 'running', 'paused', 'paused_msg',
+                         'fail_class']
+        state = {key: self.__dict__.get(key) for key in preserve_attr}
+        state['params'] = dict(self.__dict__['params'])
+        state['class_name'] = self.__class__.__name__
+        state['job_logdir'] = self.job.logdir
+        state['job_unique_id'] = self.job.unique_id
+        return state
 
     def _set_default(self, key, default):
         try:
@@ -480,10 +474,15 @@ class Test(unittest.TestCase):
             self.traceback = stacktrace.prepare_exc_info(sys.exc_info())
         except Exception, detail:
             self.status = 'FAIL'
-            self.fail_class = detail.__class__.__name__
-            self.fail_reason = detail
             tb_info = stacktrace.tb_info(sys.exc_info())
             self.traceback = stacktrace.prepare_exc_info(sys.exc_info())
+            try:
+                self.fail_class = str(detail.__class__.__name__)
+                self.fail_reason = str(detail)
+            except TypeError:
+                self.fail_class = "Exception"
+                self.fail_reason = ("Unable to get exception, check the "
+                                    "traceback for details.")
             for e_line in tb_info:
                 self.log.error(e_line)
         finally:
@@ -501,7 +500,7 @@ class Test(unittest.TestCase):
         if self.fail_reason is not None:
             self.log.error("%s %s -> %s: %s", self.status,
                            self.tagged_name,
-                           self.fail_reason.__class__.__name__,
+                           self.fail_class,
                            self.fail_reason)
 
         else:
diff --git a/examples/tests/failtest_nasty.py b/examples/tests/failtest_nasty.py
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b9ca90873bd7b723360e93fcde4c526faebcd15f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/tests/failtest_nasty.py
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+#!/usr/bin/python
+
+from avocado import test
+from avocado import job
+
+
+class NastyException(Exception):
+
+    """ Please never use something like this!!! """
+
+    def __init__(self, msg):
+        self.msg = msg
+
+    def __str__(self):
+        return self.msg
+
+
+class FailTest(test.Test):
+
+    """
+    Very nasty exception test
+    """
+
+    def action(self):
+        """
+        Should fail not-that-badly
+        """
+        raise NastyException("Nasty-string-like-exception")
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    job.main()
diff --git a/examples/tests/failtest_nasty2.py b/examples/tests/failtest_nasty2.py
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..71dac05b04a983362694df839183ffd3a2271031
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/tests/failtest_nasty2.py
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+#!/usr/bin/python
+
+from avocado import test
+from avocado import job
+
+
+class NastyException(Exception):
+
+    """ Please never use something like this!!! """
+
+    def __init__(self, msg):
+        self.msg = msg
+
+    def __str__(self):
+        return self.msg
+
+
+class FailTest(test.Test):
+
+    """
+    Very nasty exception test
+    """
+
+    def action(self):
+        """
+        Should fail.
+        """
+        raise NastyException(None)  # str(Exception) fails!
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    job.main()
diff --git a/selftests/all/functional/avocado/standalone_tests.py b/selftests/all/functional/avocado/standalone_tests.py
index 5b9b915373d4d00e61411000ec05f03afad8a928..3d7b620f9720b4658ae3b7f1dcfc80d3b899670b 100644
--- a/selftests/all/functional/avocado/standalone_tests.py
+++ b/selftests/all/functional/avocado/standalone_tests.py
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ class StandaloneTests(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(result.exit_status, expected_rc,
                          "Stand alone %s did not return rc "
                          "%d:\n%s" % (tstname, expected_rc, result))
+        return result
 
     def test_passtest(self):
         cmd_line = './examples/tests/passtest.py'
@@ -47,6 +48,23 @@ class StandaloneTests(unittest.TestCase):
         expected_rc = 1
         self.run_and_check(cmd_line, expected_rc, 'failtest')
 
+    def test_failtest_nasty(self):
+        cmd_line = './examples/tests/failtest_nasty.py'
+        expected_rc = 1
+        result = self.run_and_check(cmd_line, expected_rc, 'failtest_nasty')
+        exc = "NastyException: Nasty-string-like-exception"
+        count = result.stderr.count("\n%s" % exc)
+        self.assertEqual(count, 2, "Exception \\n%s should be present twice in"
+                         "the log (once from the log, second time when parsing"
+                         "exception details." % (exc))
+
+    def test_failtest_nasty2(self):
+        cmd_line = './examples/tests/failtest_nasty2.py'
+        expected_rc = 1
+        result = self.run_and_check(cmd_line, expected_rc, 'failtest_nasty2')
+        self.assertIn("Exception: Unable to get exception, check the traceback"
+                      " for details.", result.stderr)
+
     def test_errortest(self):
         cmd_line = './examples/tests/errortest.py'
         expected_rc = 1