diff --git a/src/librustc/traits/error_reporting.rs b/src/librustc/traits/error_reporting.rs
index 508261ddfdd6c..814263a0b00ca 100644
--- a/src/librustc/traits/error_reporting.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/traits/error_reporting.rs
@@ -244,6 +244,7 @@ impl<'a, 'gcx, 'tcx> InferCtxt<'a, 'gcx, 'tcx> {
                                                predicate,
                                                error.err);
                 self.note_obligation_cause(&mut err, obligation);
+                self.tcx.note_and_explain_type_err(&mut err, &error.err, obligation.cause.span);
                 err.emit();
             }
         }
diff --git a/src/librustc/traits/project.rs b/src/librustc/traits/project.rs
index 4c338219ffbf7..d28c8096dcfaa 100644
--- a/src/librustc/traits/project.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/traits/project.rs
@@ -87,8 +87,9 @@ pub enum ProjectionMode {
     /// }
     ///
     /// fn main() {
-    ///     let <() as Assoc>::Output = true;
+    ///     let x: <() as Assoc>::Output = true;
     /// }
+    /// ```
     AnyFinal,
 
     /// At trans time, all projections will succeed.
@@ -697,7 +698,7 @@ fn project_type<'cx, 'gcx, 'tcx>(
                         return None;
                     }
                 } else {
-                    // Normally this situation could only arise througha
+                    // Normally this situation could only arise through a
                     // compiler bug, but at coherence-checking time we only look
                     // at the topmost impl (we don't even consider the trait
                     // itself) for the definition -- so we can fail to find a
@@ -721,8 +722,6 @@ fn project_type<'cx, 'gcx, 'tcx>(
                     // trait Foo {}
                     // impl Foo for <u8 as Assoc>::Output {}
                     // impl Foo for <u16 as Assoc>::Output {}
-                    //     return None;
-                    // }
                     // ```
                     //
                     // The essential problem here is that the projection fails,
diff --git a/src/librustc/traits/specialize/mod.rs b/src/librustc/traits/specialize/mod.rs
index d43d2de1f1fbc..31b7657916957 100644
--- a/src/librustc/traits/specialize/mod.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/traits/specialize/mod.rs
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ pub fn translate_substs<'a, 'gcx, 'tcx>(infcx: &InferCtxt<'a, 'gcx, 'tcx>,
 
             fulfill_implication(infcx, source_trait_ref, target_impl).unwrap_or_else(|_| {
                 bug!("When translating substitutions for specialization, the expected \
-                      specializaiton failed to hold")
+                      specialization failed to hold")
             })
         }
         specialization_graph::Node::Trait(..) => source_trait_ref.substs,
diff --git a/src/librustc/ty/error.rs b/src/librustc/ty/error.rs
index b5190f313309f..169eed3ab1b56 100644
--- a/src/librustc/ty/error.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/ty/error.rs
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 use hir::def_id::DefId;
 use ty::subst;
 use infer::type_variable;
-use ty::{self, BoundRegion, Region, Ty, TyCtxt};
+use ty::{self, BoundRegion, Region, Ty, TyCtxt, TypeFoldable};
 
 use std::fmt;
 use syntax::abi;
@@ -58,7 +58,8 @@ pub enum TypeError<'tcx> {
     ConvergenceMismatch(ExpectedFound<bool>),
     ProjectionNameMismatched(ExpectedFound<Name>),
     ProjectionBoundsLength(ExpectedFound<usize>),
-    TyParamDefaultMismatch(ExpectedFound<type_variable::Default<'tcx>>)
+    TyParamDefaultMismatch(ExpectedFound<type_variable::Default<'tcx>>),
+    UnnormalizedProjectionMismatch(ExpectedFound<Ty<'tcx>>),
 }
 
 #[derive(Clone, RustcEncodable, RustcDecodable, PartialEq, Eq, Hash, Debug, Copy)]
@@ -206,6 +207,10 @@ impl<'tcx> fmt::Display for TypeError<'tcx> {
                        values.expected.ty,
                        values.found.ty)
             }
+            UnnormalizedProjectionMismatch(values) => ty::tls::with(|tcx| {
+                report_maybe_different(f, values.expected.sort_string(tcx),
+                                       values.found.sort_string(tcx))
+            }),
         }
     }
 }
@@ -337,6 +342,23 @@ impl<'a, 'gcx, 'tcx> TyCtxt<'a, 'gcx, 'tcx> {
                 db.span_note(found.origin_span,
                              "...that also applies to the same type variable here");
             }
+            UnnormalizedProjectionMismatch(values) => {
+                let (proj, _) = if let &ty::TyProjection(_) = &values.found.sty {
+                    (values.found, values.expected)
+                } else {
+                    (values.expected, values.found)
+                };
+
+                // a type projection failure with no unsubstituted type parameters
+                // stems from specialization intentionally rejecting type projections for default
+                // implementations.
+                if proj.needs_subst() || proj.needs_infer() {
+                    return;
+                }
+
+                db.note("associated types marked as `default` cannot be projected \
+                             as a specific type.");
+            }
             _ => {}
         }
     }
diff --git a/src/librustc/ty/relate.rs b/src/librustc/ty/relate.rs
index 80c727f022127..a90f02d8da1b5 100644
--- a/src/librustc/ty/relate.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/ty/relate.rs
@@ -582,6 +582,11 @@ pub fn super_relate_tys<'a, 'gcx, 'tcx, R>(relation: &mut R,
             Ok(tcx.mk_projection(projection_ty.trait_ref, projection_ty.item_name))
         }
 
+        (&ty::TyProjection(_), _) | (_, &ty::TyProjection(_)) =>
+        {
+            Err(TypeError::UnnormalizedProjectionMismatch(expected_found(relation, &a, &b)))
+        }
+
         _ =>
         {
             Err(TypeError::Sorts(expected_found(relation, &a, &b)))
diff --git a/src/librustc/ty/structural_impls.rs b/src/librustc/ty/structural_impls.rs
index 77e980ff31965..78e20c2625076 100644
--- a/src/librustc/ty/structural_impls.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/ty/structural_impls.rs
@@ -317,6 +317,9 @@ impl<'a, 'tcx> Lift<'tcx> for ty::error::TypeError<'a> {
             TyParamDefaultMismatch(ref x) => {
                 return tcx.lift(x).map(TyParamDefaultMismatch)
             }
+            UnnormalizedProjectionMismatch(ref x) =>  {
+                return tcx.lift(x).map(UnnormalizedProjectionMismatch)
+            }
         })
     }
 }