diff --git a/src/ng/httpBackend.js b/src/ng/httpBackend.js
index 81f5fb8bf69d..1cc4f0c201a9 100644
--- a/src/ng/httpBackend.js
+++ b/src/ng/httpBackend.js
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ function $HttpBackendProvider() {
 
 function createHttpBackend($browser, createXhr, $browserDefer, callbacks, rawDocument) {
   var ABORTED = -1;
+  var TIMEOUT = -2;
 
   // TODO(vojta): fix the signature
   return function(method, url, post, callback, headers, timeout, withCredentials, responseType) {
@@ -68,6 +69,14 @@ function createHttpBackend($browser, createXhr, $browserDefer, callbacks, rawDoc
         }
       });
 
+      // The fake timeout mechanism relies on xhr.abort(), so it's necessary to do this so that the
+      // expected behaviour occurs.
+      xhr.onabort = function() {
+        if (status === undefined) {
+          status = ABORTED;
+        }
+      };
+
       // In IE6 and 7, this might be called synchronously when xhr.send below is called and the
       // response is in the cache. the promise api will ensure that to the app code the api is
       // always async
@@ -81,9 +90,13 @@ function createHttpBackend($browser, createXhr, $browserDefer, callbacks, rawDoc
         // Safari respectively.
         if (xhr && xhr.readyState == 4) {
           var responseHeaders = null,
-              response = null;
+              response = null,
+              statusText = '';
 
-          if(status !== ABORTED) {
+          if (status === TIMEOUT) {
+            statusText = 'Timeout';
+          } else if(status !== ABORTED) {
+            statusText = xhr.statusText || '';
             responseHeaders = xhr.getAllResponseHeaders();
 
             // responseText is the old-school way of retrieving response (supported by IE8 & 9)
@@ -95,7 +108,7 @@ function createHttpBackend($browser, createXhr, $browserDefer, callbacks, rawDoc
               status || xhr.status,
               response,
               responseHeaders,
-              xhr.statusText || '');
+              statusText);
         }
       };
 
@@ -131,7 +144,7 @@ function createHttpBackend($browser, createXhr, $browserDefer, callbacks, rawDoc
 
 
     function timeoutRequest() {
-      status = ABORTED;
+      status = TIMEOUT;
       jsonpDone && jsonpDone();
       xhr && xhr.abort();
     }
diff --git a/test/ng/httpBackendSpec.js b/test/ng/httpBackendSpec.js
index 9aed1578f395..6fde5913e0e7 100644
--- a/test/ng/httpBackendSpec.js
+++ b/test/ng/httpBackendSpec.js
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ describe('$httpBackend', function() {
 
   it('should not try to read response data when request is aborted', function() {
     callback.andCallFake(function(status, response, headers) {
-      expect(status).toBe(-1);
+      expect(status).toBe(-2);
       expect(response).toBe(null);
       expect(headers).toBe(null);
     });
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ describe('$httpBackend', function() {
 
   it('should abort request on timeout', function() {
     callback.andCallFake(function(status, response) {
-      expect(status).toBe(-1);
+      expect(status).toBe(-2);
     });
 
     $backend('GET', '/url', null, callback, {}, 2000);
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ describe('$httpBackend', function() {
 
   it('should abort request on timeout promise resolution', inject(function($timeout) {
     callback.andCallFake(function(status, response) {
-      expect(status).toBe(-1);
+      expect(status).toBe(-2);
     });
 
     $backend('GET', '/url', null, callback, {}, $timeout(noop, 2000));
diff --git a/test/ng/httpSpec.js b/test/ng/httpSpec.js
index 27017061635c..1318bbc16e63 100644
--- a/test/ng/httpSpec.js
+++ b/test/ng/httpSpec.js
@@ -1308,6 +1308,20 @@ describe('$http', function() {
         $httpBackend.verifyNoOutstandingExpectation();
         $httpBackend.verifyNoOutstandingRequest();
       }));
+
+
+      it('should reject promise when timeout promise resolves', inject(function($timeout) {
+        var onFulfilled = jasmine.createSpy('onFulfilled');
+        var onRejected = jasmine.createSpy('onRejected');
+        $httpBackend.expect('GET', '/some').respond(200);
+
+        $http({method: 'GET', url: '/some', timeout: $timeout(noop, 10)}).then(onFulfilled, onRejected);
+
+        $timeout.flush(100);
+
+        expect(onFulfilled).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+        expect(onRejected).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+      }));
     });