diff --git a/src/librustc_errors/styled_buffer.rs b/src/librustc_errors/styled_buffer.rs
index f1f2e6c55e977..ceb94f27dc3ce 100644
--- a/src/librustc_errors/styled_buffer.rs
+++ b/src/librustc_errors/styled_buffer.rs
@@ -26,14 +26,11 @@ impl StyledBuffer {
         }
     }
 
-    pub fn copy_tabs(&mut self, row: usize) {
-        if row < self.text.len() {
-            for i in row + 1..self.text.len() {
-                for j in 0..self.text[i].len() {
-                    if self.text[row].len() > j && self.text[row][j] == '\t' &&
-                       self.text[i][j] == ' ' {
-                        self.text[i][j] = '\t';
-                    }
+    fn replace_tabs(&mut self) {
+        for line in self.text.iter_mut() {
+            for c in line.iter_mut() {
+                if *c == '\t' {
+                    *c = ' ';
                 }
             }
         }
@@ -43,8 +40,8 @@ impl StyledBuffer {
         let mut output: Vec<Vec<StyledString>> = vec![];
         let mut styled_vec: Vec<StyledString> = vec![];
 
-        // before we render, do a little patch-up work to support tabs
-        self.copy_tabs(3);
+        // before we render, replace tabs with spaces
+        self.replace_tabs();
 
         for (row, row_style) in self.text.iter().zip(&self.styles) {
             let mut current_style = Style::NoStyle;
diff --git a/src/test/ui/codemap_tests/tab.rs b/src/test/ui/codemap_tests/tab.rs
index 0672b5508b607..146ad2283c2fc 100644
--- a/src/test/ui/codemap_tests/tab.rs
+++ b/src/test/ui/codemap_tests/tab.rs
@@ -13,3 +13,7 @@
 fn main() {
 	bar;
 }
+
+fn foo() {
+	"bar			boo"
+}
diff --git a/src/test/ui/codemap_tests/tab.stderr b/src/test/ui/codemap_tests/tab.stderr
index 657deca4e6d49..b3fa9b128c5eb 100644
--- a/src/test/ui/codemap_tests/tab.stderr
+++ b/src/test/ui/codemap_tests/tab.stderr
@@ -1,8 +1,19 @@
 error[E0425]: cannot find value `bar` in this scope
   --> $DIR/tab.rs:14:2
    |
-14 | \tbar;
-   | \t^^^ not found in this scope
+14 |  bar;
+   |  ^^^ not found in this scope
 
-error: aborting due to previous error
+error[E0308]: mismatched types
+  --> $DIR/tab.rs:18:2
+   |
+17 | fn foo() {
+   |          - help: try adding a return type: `-> &'static str `
+18 |  "bar   boo"
+   |  ^^^^^^^^^^^ expected (), found reference
+   |
+   = note: expected type `()`
+              found type `&'static str`
+
+error: aborting due to 2 previous errors
 
diff --git a/src/test/ui/codemap_tests/tab_2.rs b/src/test/ui/codemap_tests/tab_2.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..d26d7974d85ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/ui/codemap_tests/tab_2.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+// Copyright 2016 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
+// file at the top-level directory of this distribution and at
+// http://rust-lang.org/COPYRIGHT.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 <LICENSE-APACHE or
+// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0> or the MIT license
+// <LICENSE-MIT or http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT>, at your
+// option. This file may not be copied, modified, or distributed
+// except according to those terms.
+
+// ignore-tidy-tab
+
+fn main() {
+				""";
+}
diff --git a/src/test/ui/codemap_tests/tab_2.stderr b/src/test/ui/codemap_tests/tab_2.stderr
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..a2b3ca7e4d4fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/ui/codemap_tests/tab_2.stderr
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+error: unterminated double quote string
+  --> $DIR/tab_2.rs:14:7
+   |
+14 |       """;
+   |  _______^
+15 | | }
+   | |__^
+
+error: aborting due to previous error
+
diff --git a/src/test/ui/codemap_tests/tab_3.rs b/src/test/ui/codemap_tests/tab_3.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..9b3513d5116f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/ui/codemap_tests/tab_3.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+// Copyright 2016 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
+// file at the top-level directory of this distribution and at
+// http://rust-lang.org/COPYRIGHT.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 <LICENSE-APACHE or
+// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0> or the MIT license
+// <LICENSE-MIT or http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT>, at your
+// option. This file may not be copied, modified, or distributed
+// except according to those terms.
+
+// ignore-tidy-tab
+
+fn main() {
+	let some_vec = vec!["hi"];
+	some_vec.into_iter();
+	{
+		println!("{:?}", some_vec);
+	}
+}
diff --git a/src/test/ui/codemap_tests/tab_3.stderr b/src/test/ui/codemap_tests/tab_3.stderr
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..f19f5f20d23ec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/ui/codemap_tests/tab_3.stderr
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+error[E0382]: use of moved value: `some_vec`
+  --> $DIR/tab_3.rs:17:20
+   |
+15 |  some_vec.into_iter();
+   |  -------- value moved here
+16 |  {
+17 |   println!("{:?}", some_vec);
+   |                    ^^^^^^^^ value used here after move
+   |
+   = note: move occurs because `some_vec` has type `std::vec::Vec<&str>`, which does not implement the `Copy` trait
+
+error: aborting due to previous error
+