diff --git a/compiler/rustc_error_codes/src/error_codes.rs b/compiler/rustc_error_codes/src/error_codes.rs
index 42ce849c64d..ce26ff62235 100644
--- a/compiler/rustc_error_codes/src/error_codes.rs
+++ b/compiler/rustc_error_codes/src/error_codes.rs
@@ -484,6 +484,7 @@ E0782: include_str!("./error_codes/E0782.md"),
 E0783: include_str!("./error_codes/E0783.md"),
 E0784: include_str!("./error_codes/E0784.md"),
 E0785: include_str!("./error_codes/E0785.md"),
+E0786: include_str!("./error_codes/E0786.md"),
 ;
 //  E0006, // merged with E0005
 //  E0008, // cannot bind by-move into a pattern guard
diff --git a/compiler/rustc_error_codes/src/error_codes/E0786.md b/compiler/rustc_error_codes/src/error_codes/E0786.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..4a9635bf516
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compiler/rustc_error_codes/src/error_codes/E0786.md
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+A metadata file was invalid.
+
+Erroneous code example:
+
+```ignore (needs extern files)
+use ::foo; // error: found invalid metadata files for crate `foo`
+```
+
+When loading crates, each crate must have a valid metadata file.
+Invalid files could be caused by filesystem corruption,
+an IO error while reading the file, or (rarely) a bug in the compiler itself.
+
+Consider deleting the file and recreating it,
+or reporting a bug against the compiler.
diff --git a/compiler/rustc_metadata/src/locator.rs b/compiler/rustc_metadata/src/locator.rs
index 8db2291dfcf..7cba16e0a9a 100644
--- a/compiler/rustc_metadata/src/locator.rs
+++ b/compiler/rustc_metadata/src/locator.rs
@@ -350,6 +350,7 @@ impl<'a> CrateLocator<'a> {
         self.crate_rejections.via_kind.clear();
         self.crate_rejections.via_version.clear();
         self.crate_rejections.via_filename.clear();
+        self.crate_rejections.via_invalid.clear();
     }
 
     crate fn maybe_load_library_crate(&mut self) -> Result<Option<Library>, CrateError> {
@@ -548,7 +549,17 @@ impl<'a> CrateLocator<'a> {
                             continue;
                         }
                     }
-                    Err(err) => {
+                    Err(MetadataError::LoadFailure(err)) => {
+                        info!("no metadata found: {}", err);
+                        // The file was present and created by the same compiler version, but we
+                        // couldn't load it for some reason.  Give a hard error instead of silently
+                        // ignoring it, but only if we would have given an error anyway.
+                        self.crate_rejections
+                            .via_invalid
+                            .push(CrateMismatch { path: lib, got: err });
+                        continue;
+                    }
+                    Err(err @ MetadataError::NotPresent(_)) => {
                         info!("no metadata found: {}", err);
                         continue;
                     }
@@ -726,25 +737,28 @@ impl<'a> CrateLocator<'a> {
 fn get_metadata_section(
     target: &Target,
     flavor: CrateFlavor,
-    filename: &Path,
+    filename: &'p Path,
     loader: &dyn MetadataLoader,
-) -> Result<MetadataBlob, String> {
+) -> Result<MetadataBlob, MetadataError<'p>> {
     if !filename.exists() {
-        return Err(format!("no such file: '{}'", filename.display()));
+        return Err(MetadataError::NotPresent(filename));
     }
     let raw_bytes: MetadataRef = match flavor {
-        CrateFlavor::Rlib => loader.get_rlib_metadata(target, filename)?,
+        CrateFlavor::Rlib => {
+            loader.get_rlib_metadata(target, filename).map_err(MetadataError::LoadFailure)?
+        }
         CrateFlavor::Dylib => {
-            let buf = loader.get_dylib_metadata(target, filename)?;
+            let buf =
+                loader.get_dylib_metadata(target, filename).map_err(MetadataError::LoadFailure)?;
             // The header is uncompressed
             let header_len = METADATA_HEADER.len();
             debug!("checking {} bytes of metadata-version stamp", header_len);
             let header = &buf[..cmp::min(header_len, buf.len())];
             if header != METADATA_HEADER {
-                return Err(format!(
-                    "incompatible metadata version found: '{}'",
+                return Err(MetadataError::LoadFailure(format!(
+                    "invalid metadata version found: {}",
                     filename.display()
-                ));
+                )));
             }
 
             // Header is okay -> inflate the actual metadata
@@ -756,17 +770,28 @@ fn get_metadata_section(
             match FrameDecoder::new(compressed_bytes).read_to_end(&mut inflated) {
                 Ok(_) => rustc_erase_owner!(OwningRef::new(inflated).map_owner_box()),
                 Err(_) => {
-                    return Err(format!("failed to decompress metadata: {}", filename.display()));
+                    return Err(MetadataError::LoadFailure(format!(
+                        "failed to decompress metadata: {}",
+                        filename.display()
+                    )));
                 }
             }
         }
         CrateFlavor::Rmeta => {
             // mmap the file, because only a small fraction of it is read.
-            let file = std::fs::File::open(filename)
-                .map_err(|_| format!("failed to open rmeta metadata: '{}'", filename.display()))?;
+            let file = std::fs::File::open(filename).map_err(|_| {
+                MetadataError::LoadFailure(format!(
+                    "failed to open rmeta metadata: '{}'",
+                    filename.display()
+                ))
+            })?;
             let mmap = unsafe { Mmap::map(file) };
-            let mmap = mmap
-                .map_err(|_| format!("failed to mmap rmeta metadata: '{}'", filename.display()))?;
+            let mmap = mmap.map_err(|_| {
+                MetadataError::LoadFailure(format!(
+                    "failed to mmap rmeta metadata: '{}'",
+                    filename.display()
+                ))
+            })?;
 
             rustc_erase_owner!(OwningRef::new(mmap).map_owner_box())
         }
@@ -775,7 +800,10 @@ fn get_metadata_section(
     if blob.is_compatible() {
         Ok(blob)
     } else {
-        Err(format!("incompatible metadata version found: '{}'", filename.display()))
+        Err(MetadataError::LoadFailure(format!(
+            "invalid metadata version found: {}",
+            filename.display()
+        )))
     }
 }
 
@@ -854,6 +882,7 @@ struct CrateRejections {
     via_kind: Vec<CrateMismatch>,
     via_version: Vec<CrateMismatch>,
     via_filename: Vec<CrateMismatch>,
+    via_invalid: Vec<CrateMismatch>,
 }
 
 /// Candidate rejection reasons collected during crate search.
@@ -883,6 +912,24 @@ crate enum CrateError {
     NonDylibPlugin(Symbol),
 }
 
+enum MetadataError<'a> {
+    /// The file was missing.
+    NotPresent(&'a Path),
+    /// The file was present and invalid.
+    LoadFailure(String),
+}
+
+impl fmt::Display for MetadataError<'_> {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result {
+        match self {
+            MetadataError::NotPresent(filename) => {
+                f.write_str(&format!("no such file: '{}'", filename.display()))
+            }
+            MetadataError::LoadFailure(msg) => f.write_str(msg),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 impl CrateError {
     crate fn report(self, sess: &Session, span: Span, missing_core: bool) -> ! {
         let mut err = match self {
@@ -1064,6 +1111,19 @@ impl CrateError {
                     }
                     err.note(&msg);
                     err
+                } else if !locator.crate_rejections.via_invalid.is_empty() {
+                    let mut err = struct_span_err!(
+                        sess,
+                        span,
+                        E0786,
+                        "found invalid metadata files for crate `{}`{}",
+                        crate_name,
+                        add,
+                    );
+                    for CrateMismatch { path: _, got } in locator.crate_rejections.via_invalid {
+                        err.note(&got);
+                    }
+                    err
                 } else {
                     let mut err = struct_span_err!(
                         sess,
diff --git a/src/test/run-make-fulldeps/invalid-library/Makefile b/src/test/run-make-fulldeps/invalid-library/Makefile
index c75713c3ee5..de463a33014 100644
--- a/src/test/run-make-fulldeps/invalid-library/Makefile
+++ b/src/test/run-make-fulldeps/invalid-library/Makefile
@@ -3,4 +3,4 @@
 all:
 	touch $(TMPDIR)/lib.rmeta
 	$(AR) crus $(TMPDIR)/libfoo-ffffffff-1.0.rlib $(TMPDIR)/lib.rmeta
-	$(RUSTC) foo.rs 2>&1 | $(CGREP) "can't find crate for"
+	$(RUSTC) foo.rs 2>&1 | $(CGREP) "found invalid metadata"
diff --git a/src/test/run-make/invalid-so/Makefile b/src/test/run-make/invalid-so/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..5b82ecd207d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/run-make/invalid-so/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+include ../../run-make-fulldeps/tools.mk
+
+DYLIB_NAME := $(shell echo | $(RUSTC) --crate-name foo --crate-type dylib --print file-names -)
+
+all:
+	echo >> $(TMPDIR)/$(DYLIB_NAME)
+	$(RUSTC) --crate-type lib --extern foo=$(TMPDIR)/$(DYLIB_NAME) bar.rs 2>&1 | $(CGREP) 'invalid metadata files for crate `foo`'
diff --git a/src/test/run-make/invalid-so/bar.rs b/src/test/run-make/invalid-so/bar.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..49af74e1b74
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/run-make/invalid-so/bar.rs
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+extern crate foo;
diff --git a/src/test/ui/crate-loading/auxiliary/libfoo.rlib b/src/test/ui/crate-loading/auxiliary/libfoo.rlib
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..e69de29bb2d
diff --git a/src/test/ui/crate-loading/invalid-rlib.rs b/src/test/ui/crate-loading/invalid-rlib.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..77c29090a3e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/ui/crate-loading/invalid-rlib.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+// compile-flags: --crate-type lib --extern foo={{src-base}}/crate-loading/auxiliary/libfoo.rlib
+// normalize-stderr-test: "failed to mmap file '.*auxiliary/libfoo.rlib':.*" -> "failed to mmap file 'auxiliary/libfoo.rlib'"
+// don't emit warn logging, it's basically the same as the errors and it's annoying to normalize
+// rustc-env:RUSTC_LOG=error
+// edition:2018
+#![no_std]
+use ::foo; //~ ERROR invalid metadata files for crate `foo`
+//~| NOTE failed to mmap file
diff --git a/src/test/ui/crate-loading/invalid-rlib.stderr b/src/test/ui/crate-loading/invalid-rlib.stderr
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b2c79f742fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/ui/crate-loading/invalid-rlib.stderr
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+error[E0786]: found invalid metadata files for crate `foo`
+  --> $DIR/invalid-rlib.rs:7:7
+   |
+LL | use ::foo;
+   |       ^^^
+   |
+   = note: failed to mmap file 'auxiliary/libfoo.rlib'
+
+error: aborting due to previous error
+
+For more information about this error, try `rustc --explain E0786`.