diff --git a/core/src/main/java/hudson/maven/MavenBuild.java b/core/src/main/java/hudson/maven/MavenBuild.java
index 86dedaadfd3fe9e99f0a892f3959da1dd4d06549..672ed2a1ffb458ed36a756a22eaa0341905a085b 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/hudson/maven/MavenBuild.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/hudson/maven/MavenBuild.java
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package hudson.maven;
 import hudson.FilePath;
 import hudson.Util;
 import hudson.maven.agent.*;
+import hudson.maven.reporters.SurefireArchiver;
 import hudson.model.AbstractBuild;
 import hudson.model.AbstractProject;
 import hudson.model.BuildListener;
@@ -125,8 +126,18 @@ public class MavenBuild extends AbstractBuild<MavenModule,MavenBuild> {
                 hudson.maven.agent.PluginManagerInterceptor.setListener(pmi);
                 LifecycleExecutorInterceptor.setListener(pmi);
 
+                markAsSuccess = false;
+
                 int r = Main.launch(goals.toArray(new String[goals.size()]));
-                return r==0 ? Result.SUCCESS : Result.FAILURE;
+
+                if(r==0)    return Result.SUCCESS;
+
+                if(markAsSuccess) {
+                    listener.getLogger().println("Maven failed with error.");
+                    return Result.SUCCESS;
+                }
+
+                return Result.FAILURE;
             } catch (NoSuchMethodException e) {
                 throw new IOException2(e);
             } catch (IllegalAccessException e) {
@@ -407,4 +418,24 @@ public class MavenBuild extends AbstractBuild<MavenModule,MavenBuild> {
     }
 
     private static final ProcessCache mavenProcessCache = new ProcessCache(MAX_PROCESS_CACHE);
+
+    /**
+     * Used by selected {@link MavenReporter}s to notify the maven build agent
+     * that even though Maven is going to fail, we should report the build as
+     * success.
+     *
+     * <p>
+     * This rather ugly hook is necessary to mark builds as unstable, since
+     * maven considers a test failure to be a build failure, which will otherwise
+     * mark the build as FAILED.
+     *
+     * <p>
+     * It's OK for this field to be static, because the JVM where this is actually
+     * used is in the Maven JVM, so only one build is going on for the whole JVM.
+     *
+     * <p>
+     * Even though this field is public, please consider this field reserved
+     * for {@link SurefireArchiver}. Subject to change without notice.
+     */
+    public static boolean markAsSuccess;
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/hudson/maven/reporters/SurefireArchiver.java b/core/src/main/java/hudson/maven/reporters/SurefireArchiver.java
index 2f85b5f7d66e2bb28eeb1be0afe6347d8e38d8bd..ad99bd54c4cbae8c184ab0ecf89da86d47526bb7 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/hudson/maven/reporters/SurefireArchiver.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/hudson/maven/reporters/SurefireArchiver.java
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import hudson.model.Result;
 import hudson.tasks.junit.TestResult;
 import hudson.tasks.junit.TestResultAction;
 import hudson.tasks.test.TestResultProjectAction;
+import org.apache.maven.plugin.MojoFailureException;
 import org.apache.maven.project.MavenProject;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.DirectoryScanner;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.Project;
@@ -64,16 +65,22 @@ public class SurefireArchiver extends MavenReporter {
 
             final TestResult tr = new TestResult(started.getTime() - 1000/*error margin*/, ds);
 
-            build.execute(new BuildCallable<Void, IOException>() {
-                public Void call(MavenBuild build) throws IOException, InterruptedException {
+            int failCount = build.execute(new BuildCallable<Integer, IOException>() {
+                public Integer call(MavenBuild build) throws IOException, InterruptedException {
                     TestResultAction action = new TestResultAction(build, tr, listener);
                     build.getActions().add(action);
                     if(tr.getFailCount()>0)
                         build.setResult(Result.UNSTABLE);
                     build.registerAsProjectAction(SurefireArchiver.this);
-                    return null;
+                    return tr.getFailCount();
                 }
             });
+
+            // if surefire plugin is going to kill maven because of a test failure,
+            // intercept that (or otherwise build will be marked as failure)
+            if(failCount>0 && error instanceof MojoFailureException) {
+                MavenBuild.markAsSuccess = true;
+            }
         }
 
         return true;