diff --git a/swift/container/sync.py b/swift/container/sync.py
index 0f31bbe433..bdde696722 100644
--- a/swift/container/sync.py
+++ b/swift/container/sync.py
@@ -382,7 +382,9 @@ class ContainerSync(Daemon):
                         # non-404 one. We don't want to mistakenly assume the
                         # object no longer exists just because one says so and
                         # the others errored for some other reason.
-                        if not exc or exc.http_status == HTTP_NOT_FOUND:
+                        if not exc or getattr(
+                                exc, 'http_status', HTTP_NOT_FOUND) == \
+                                HTTP_NOT_FOUND:
                             exc = err
                     except (Exception, Timeout) as err:
                         exc = err
diff --git a/test/unit/container/test_sync.py b/test/unit/container/test_sync.py
index 883d200f11..0f45aa2acb 100644
--- a/test/unit/container/test_sync.py
+++ b/test/unit/container/test_sync.py
@@ -830,7 +830,10 @@ class TestContainerSync(unittest.TestCase):
 
             def fake_direct_get_object(node, part, account, container, obj,
                                        resp_chunk_size=1):
-                exc.append(ClientException('test client exception'))
+                if len(exc) == 0:
+                    exc.append(Exception('test other exception'))
+                else:
+                    exc.append(ClientException('test client exception'))
                 raise exc[-1]
 
             sync.direct_get_object = fake_direct_get_object
@@ -844,6 +847,8 @@ class TestContainerSync(unittest.TestCase):
                     'container': 'c'}, realm, realm_key))
             self.assertEquals(cs.container_puts, 2)
             self.assertEquals(len(exc), 3)
+            self.assertEquals(str(exc[-3]), 'test other exception')
+            self.assertEquals(str(exc[-2]), 'test client exception')
             self.assertEquals(str(exc[-1]), 'test client exception')
 
             def fake_direct_get_object(node, part, account, container, obj,