diff --git a/chalk-engine/src/slg/resolvent.rs b/chalk-engine/src/slg/resolvent.rs
index 35cc0241910..8606026006a 100644
--- a/chalk-engine/src/slg/resolvent.rs
+++ b/chalk-engine/src/slg/resolvent.rs
@@ -627,7 +627,8 @@ impl<'i, I: Interner> Zipper<I> for AnswerSubstitutor<'i, I> {
             (LifetimeData::Static, _)
             | (LifetimeData::BoundVar(_), _)
             | (LifetimeData::Placeholder(_), _)
-            | (LifetimeData::Erased, _) => panic!(
+            | (LifetimeData::Erased, _)
+            | (LifetimeData::Error, _) => panic!(
                 "structural mismatch between answer `{:?}` and pending goal `{:?}`",
                 answer, pending,
             ),
diff --git a/chalk-ir/src/debug.rs b/chalk-ir/src/debug.rs
index aac1fa35741..8aa48d7de25 100644
--- a/chalk-ir/src/debug.rs
+++ b/chalk-ir/src/debug.rs
@@ -307,6 +307,7 @@ impl<I: Interner> Debug for LifetimeData<I> {
             LifetimeData::Placeholder(index) => write!(fmt, "'{:?}", index),
             LifetimeData::Static => write!(fmt, "'static"),
             LifetimeData::Erased => write!(fmt, "'<erased>"),
+            LifetimeData::Error => write!(fmt, "'{{error}}"),
             LifetimeData::Phantom(..) => unreachable!(),
         }
     }
diff --git a/chalk-ir/src/fold.rs b/chalk-ir/src/fold.rs
index 3b4531b1ee1..d0524db6541 100644
--- a/chalk-ir/src/fold.rs
+++ b/chalk-ir/src/fold.rs
@@ -822,6 +822,7 @@ where
             }
             LifetimeData::Static => Ok(LifetimeData::<I>::Static.intern(folder.interner())),
             LifetimeData::Erased => Ok(LifetimeData::<I>::Erased.intern(folder.interner())),
+            LifetimeData::Error => Ok(LifetimeData::<I>::Error.intern(folder.interner())),
             LifetimeData::Phantom(void, ..) => match *void {},
         }
     }
diff --git a/chalk-ir/src/lib.rs b/chalk-ir/src/lib.rs
index 70c4f4cc5aa..4a765673afc 100644
--- a/chalk-ir/src/lib.rs
+++ b/chalk-ir/src/lib.rs
@@ -555,14 +555,16 @@ bitflags! {
         const HAS_CT_PROJECTION           = 1 << 9;
         /// Does the type contain an error
         const HAS_ERROR                   = 1 << 10;
+        /// Does the type contain an error lifetime
+        const HAS_RE_ERROR                = 1 << 11;
         /// Does the type contain any free lifetimes
-        const HAS_FREE_REGIONS            = 1 << 11;
+        const HAS_FREE_REGIONS            = 1 << 12;
         /// True when the type contains lifetimes that will be substituted when function is called
-        const HAS_RE_LATE_BOUND           = 1 << 12;
+        const HAS_RE_LATE_BOUND           = 1 << 13;
         /// True when the type contains an erased lifetime
-        const HAS_RE_ERASED               = 1 << 13;
+        const HAS_RE_ERASED               = 1 << 14;
         /// Does the type contain placeholders or inference variables that could be replaced later
-        const STILL_FURTHER_SPECIALIZABLE = 1 << 14;
+        const STILL_FURTHER_SPECIALIZABLE = 1 << 15;
 
         /// True when the type contains free names local to a particular context
         const HAS_FREE_LOCAL_NAMES        = TypeFlags::HAS_TY_INFER.bits()
@@ -1280,6 +1282,7 @@ impl<I: Interner> Lifetime<I> {
             LifetimeData::Placeholder(_) => false,
             LifetimeData::Static => false,
             LifetimeData::Erased => false,
+            LifetimeData::Error => false,
             LifetimeData::Phantom(..) => unreachable!(),
         }
     }
@@ -1301,6 +1304,7 @@ impl<I: Interner> Lifetime<I> {
             LifetimeData::Phantom(_, _) => TypeFlags::empty(),
             LifetimeData::BoundVar(_) => TypeFlags::HAS_RE_LATE_BOUND,
             LifetimeData::Erased => TypeFlags::HAS_RE_ERASED,
+            LifetimeData::Error => TypeFlags::HAS_RE_ERROR,
         }
     }
 }
@@ -1321,6 +1325,8 @@ pub enum LifetimeData<I: Interner> {
     Erased,
     /// Lifetime on phantom data.
     Phantom(Void, PhantomData<I>),
+    /// A lifetime that resulted from some error
+    Error,
 }
 
 impl<I: Interner> LifetimeData<I> {
diff --git a/chalk-ir/src/visit.rs b/chalk-ir/src/visit.rs
index 2dee118100d..e72ea1e6f02 100644
--- a/chalk-ir/src/visit.rs
+++ b/chalk-ir/src/visit.rs
@@ -330,7 +330,9 @@ impl<I: Interner> TypeSuperVisitable<I> for Lifetime<I> {
             LifetimeData::Placeholder(universe) => {
                 visitor.visit_free_placeholder(*universe, outer_binder)
             }
-            LifetimeData::Static | LifetimeData::Erased => ControlFlow::Continue(()),
+            LifetimeData::Static | LifetimeData::Erased | LifetimeData::Error => {
+                ControlFlow::Continue(())
+            }
             LifetimeData::Phantom(void, ..) => match *void {},
         }
     }
diff --git a/chalk-solve/src/display/ty.rs b/chalk-solve/src/display/ty.rs
index e3402bf67bc..a00be4d8719 100644
--- a/chalk-solve/src/display/ty.rs
+++ b/chalk-solve/src/display/ty.rs
@@ -241,6 +241,7 @@ impl<I: Interner> RenderAsRust<I> for LifetimeData<I> {
             }
             LifetimeData::Static => write!(f, "'static"),
             LifetimeData::Erased => write!(f, "'_"),
+            LifetimeData::Error => write!(f, "'{{error}}"),
             // Matching the void ensures at compile time that this code is
             // unreachable
             LifetimeData::Phantom(void, _) => match *void {},
diff --git a/chalk-solve/src/infer/unify.rs b/chalk-solve/src/infer/unify.rs
index e4b4d5a152c..1ce4796da98 100644
--- a/chalk-solve/src/infer/unify.rs
+++ b/chalk-solve/src/infer/unify.rs
@@ -963,12 +963,14 @@ impl<'t, I: Interner> Unifier<'t, I> {
             ) => self.unify_lifetime_var(variance.invert(), b_var, a, ui),
 
             (&LifetimeData::InferenceVar(a_var), &LifetimeData::Erased)
-            | (&LifetimeData::InferenceVar(a_var), &LifetimeData::Static) => {
+            | (&LifetimeData::InferenceVar(a_var), &LifetimeData::Static)
+            | (&LifetimeData::InferenceVar(a_var), &LifetimeData::Error) => {
                 self.unify_lifetime_var(variance, a_var, b, UniverseIndex::root())
             }
 
             (&LifetimeData::Erased, &LifetimeData::InferenceVar(b_var))
-            | (&LifetimeData::Static, &LifetimeData::InferenceVar(b_var)) => {
+            | (&LifetimeData::Static, &LifetimeData::InferenceVar(b_var))
+            | (&LifetimeData::Error, &LifetimeData::InferenceVar(b_var)) => {
                 self.unify_lifetime_var(variance.invert(), b_var, a, UniverseIndex::root())
             }
 
@@ -990,6 +992,7 @@ impl<'t, I: Interner> Unifier<'t, I> {
                 }
             }
 
+            (LifetimeData::Error, _) | (_, LifetimeData::Error) => Ok(()),
             (LifetimeData::BoundVar(_), _) | (_, LifetimeData::BoundVar(_)) => panic!(
                 "unification encountered bound variable: a={:?} b={:?}",
                 a, b