diff --git a/dlls/msxml3/node.c b/dlls/msxml3/node.c
index ae96fa17909..704e92e85fd 100644
--- a/dlls/msxml3/node.c
+++ b/dlls/msxml3/node.c
@@ -743,8 +743,8 @@ static ULONG WINAPI Internal_Release(
     ref = InterlockedDecrement( &This->ref );
     if ( ref == 0 )
     {
-        assert( This->node->doc );
-        xmldoc_release( This->node->doc );
+        if( This->node )
+	    xmldoc_release( This->node->doc );
         HeapFree( GetProcessHeap(), 0, This );
     }
 
diff --git a/dlls/msxml3/tests/domdoc.c b/dlls/msxml3/tests/domdoc.c
index bb378c7f034..49c303bb908 100644
--- a/dlls/msxml3/tests/domdoc.c
+++ b/dlls/msxml3/tests/domdoc.c
@@ -513,6 +513,13 @@ static void test_refs(void)
     LONG ref;
     IUnknown *unk, *unk2;
 
+    r = CoCreateInstance( &CLSID_DOMDocument, NULL, 
+        CLSCTX_INPROC_SERVER, &IID_IXMLDOMDocument, (LPVOID*)&doc );
+    if( r != S_OK )
+        return;
+    ref = IXMLDOMDocument_Release(doc);
+    ok( ref == 0, "ref %ld\n", ref);
+
     r = CoCreateInstance( &CLSID_DOMDocument, NULL, 
         CLSCTX_INPROC_SERVER, &IID_IXMLDOMDocument, (LPVOID*)&doc );
     if( r != S_OK )