diff --git a/src/plots/polar/layout_defaults.js b/src/plots/polar/layout_defaults.js
index 8017b42a7f8..32bf5afff4b 100644
--- a/src/plots/polar/layout_defaults.js
+++ b/src/plots/polar/layout_defaults.js
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ function handleDefaults(contIn, contOut, coerce, opts) {
         }
 
         var axIn = contIn[axName];
-        var axOut = contOut[axName] = Template.newContainer(contOut, axName);
+        var axOut = Template.newContainer(contOut, axName);
         axOut._id = axOut._name = axName;
         axOut._traceIndices = subplotData.map(function(t) { return t._expandedIndex; });
 
diff --git a/src/traces/carpet/ab_defaults.js b/src/traces/carpet/ab_defaults.js
index 0c94e38d956..a403ea34d03 100644
--- a/src/traces/carpet/ab_defaults.js
+++ b/src/traces/carpet/ab_defaults.js
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 'use strict';
 
 var handleAxisDefaults = require('./axis_defaults');
+var Template = require('../../plot_api/plot_template');
 
 module.exports = function handleABDefaults(traceIn, traceOut, fullLayout, coerce, dfltColor) {
     var a = coerce('a');
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ function mimickAxisDefaults(traceIn, traceOut, fullLayout, dfltColor) {
     axesList.forEach(function(axName) {
         var axLetter = axName.charAt(0);
         var axIn = traceIn[axName] || {};
-        var axOut = {};
+        var axOut = Template.newContainer(traceOut, axName);
 
         var defaultOptions = {
             tickfont: 'x',
@@ -50,11 +51,8 @@ function mimickAxisDefaults(traceIn, traceOut, fullLayout, dfltColor) {
         };
 
         handleAxisDefaults(axIn, axOut, defaultOptions);
-
         axOut._categories = axOut._categories || [];
 
-        traceOut[axName] = axOut;
-
         // so we don't have to repeat autotype unnecessarily,
         // copy an autotype back to traceIn
         if(!traceIn[axName] && axIn.type !== '-') {
diff --git a/test/image/baselines/carpet_template.png b/test/image/baselines/carpet_template.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6b29319add1
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/image/baselines/carpet_template.png differ
diff --git a/test/image/mocks/carpet_template.json b/test/image/mocks/carpet_template.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..561dc065ff3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/image/mocks/carpet_template.json
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+{
+  "data": [
+    {
+      "type": "carpet",
+      "a": [4, 4, 4, 4.5, 4.5, 4.5, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6],
+      "b": [1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3],
+      "y": [2, 3.5, 4, 3, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6.5, 7.5, 8, 8.5, 10]
+    }
+  ],
+  "layout": {
+    "template": {
+      "data": {
+        "carpet": [
+          {
+            "aaxis": {
+              "gridcolor": "cyan",
+              "linecolor": "cyan",
+              "tickcolor": "cyan",
+              "minorgridcolor": "cyan",
+              "startlinecolor": "cyan",
+              "endlinecolor": "cyan"
+            },
+            "baxis": {
+              "gridcolor": "cyan",
+              "linecolor": "cyan",
+              "tickcolor": "cyan",
+              "minorgridcolor": "cyan",
+              "startlinecolor": "cyan",
+              "endlinecolor": "cyan"
+            }
+          }
+        ]
+      },
+      "layout": {
+        "plot_bgcolor": "black"
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}