diff --git a/dlls/mshtml/htmldoc.c b/dlls/mshtml/htmldoc.c
index 6243ecec2e8..e9a0cd6b8b0 100644
--- a/dlls/mshtml/htmldoc.c
+++ b/dlls/mshtml/htmldoc.c
@@ -996,8 +996,10 @@ static HRESULT WINAPI HTMLDocument_createElement(IHTMLDocument2 *iface, BSTR eTa
     if(FAILED(hres))
         return hres;
 
-    elem = HTMLElement_Create(This->doc_node, (nsIDOMNode*)nselem, TRUE);
+    hres = HTMLElement_Create(This->doc_node, (nsIDOMNode*)nselem, TRUE, &elem);
     nsIDOMHTMLElement_Release(nselem);
+    if(FAILED(hres))
+        return hres;
 
     *newElem = HTMLELEM(elem);
     IHTMLElement_AddRef(HTMLELEM(elem));
diff --git a/dlls/mshtml/htmlelem.c b/dlls/mshtml/htmlelem.c
index a1d774df22d..af60a2ba8bf 100644
--- a/dlls/mshtml/htmlelem.c
+++ b/dlls/mshtml/htmlelem.c
@@ -1666,10 +1666,13 @@ HRESULT HTMLElement_clone(HTMLDOMNode *iface, nsIDOMNode *nsnode, HTMLDOMNode **
 {
     HTMLElement *This = HTMLELEM_NODE_THIS(iface);
     HTMLElement *new_elem;
+    HRESULT hres;
+
+    hres = HTMLElement_Create(This->node.doc, nsnode, FALSE, &new_elem);
+    if(FAILED(hres))
+        return hres;
 
-    new_elem = HTMLElement_Create(This->node.doc, nsnode, FALSE);
     IHTMLElement_AddRef(HTMLELEM(new_elem));
-
     *ret = &new_elem->node;
     return S_OK;
 }
@@ -1718,19 +1721,19 @@ void HTMLElement_Init(HTMLElement *This, HTMLDocumentNode *doc, nsIDOMHTMLElemen
     ConnectionPointContainer_Init(&This->cp_container, (IUnknown*)HTMLELEM(This));
 }
 
-HTMLElement *HTMLElement_Create(HTMLDocumentNode *doc, nsIDOMNode *nsnode, BOOL use_generic)
+HRESULT HTMLElement_Create(HTMLDocumentNode *doc, nsIDOMNode *nsnode, BOOL use_generic, HTMLElement **ret)
 {
     nsIDOMHTMLElement *nselem;
-    HTMLElement *ret = NULL;
     nsAString class_name_str;
     const PRUnichar *class_name;
     const tag_desc_t *tag;
+    HTMLElement *elem;
     nsresult nsres;
-
+    HRESULT hres;
 
     nsres = nsIDOMNode_QueryInterface(nsnode, &IID_nsIDOMHTMLElement, (void**)&nselem);
     if(NS_FAILED(nsres))
-        return NULL;
+        return E_FAIL;
 
     nsAString_Init(&class_name_str, NULL);
     nsIDOMHTMLElement_GetTagName(nselem, &class_name_str);
@@ -1739,21 +1742,30 @@ HTMLElement *HTMLElement_Create(HTMLDocumentNode *doc, nsIDOMNode *nsnode, BOOL
 
     tag = get_tag_desc(class_name);
     if(tag) {
-        ret = tag->constructor(doc, nselem);
+        elem = tag->constructor(doc, nselem);
+        hres = elem ? S_OK : E_OUTOFMEMORY;
     }else if(use_generic) {
-        ret = HTMLGenericElement_Create(doc, nselem);
+        hres = HTMLGenericElement_Create(doc, nselem, &elem);
     }else {
-        ret = heap_alloc_zero(sizeof(HTMLElement));
-        HTMLElement_Init(ret, doc, nselem, &HTMLElement_dispex);
-        ret->node.vtbl = &HTMLElementImplVtbl;
+        elem = heap_alloc_zero(sizeof(HTMLElement));
+        if(elem) {
+            HTMLElement_Init(elem, doc, nselem, &HTMLElement_dispex);
+            elem->node.vtbl = &HTMLElementImplVtbl;
+            hres = S_OK;
+        }else {
+            hres = E_OUTOFMEMORY;
+        }
     }
 
-    TRACE("%s ret %p\n", debugstr_w(class_name), ret);
+    TRACE("%s ret %p\n", debugstr_w(class_name), elem);
 
     nsIDOMElement_Release(nselem);
     nsAString_Finish(&class_name_str);
+    if(FAILED(hres))
+        return hres;
 
-    return ret;
+    *ret = elem;
+    return S_OK;
 }
 
 /* interface IHTMLFiltersCollection */
diff --git a/dlls/mshtml/htmlgeneric.c b/dlls/mshtml/htmlgeneric.c
index 1580929ed12..119f3660590 100644
--- a/dlls/mshtml/htmlgeneric.c
+++ b/dlls/mshtml/htmlgeneric.c
@@ -166,16 +166,19 @@ static dispex_static_data_t HTMLGenericElement_dispex = {
     HTMLGenericElement_iface_tids
 };
 
-HTMLElement *HTMLGenericElement_Create(HTMLDocumentNode *doc, nsIDOMHTMLElement *nselem)
+HRESULT HTMLGenericElement_Create(HTMLDocumentNode *doc, nsIDOMHTMLElement *nselem, HTMLElement **elem)
 {
     HTMLGenericElement *ret;
 
     ret = heap_alloc_zero(sizeof(HTMLGenericElement));
+    if(!ret)
+        return E_OUTOFMEMORY;
 
     ret->lpHTMLGenericElementVtbl = &HTMLGenericElementVtbl;
     ret->element.node.vtbl = &HTMLGenericElementImplVtbl;
 
     HTMLElement_Init(&ret->element, doc, nselem, &HTMLGenericElement_dispex);
 
-    return &ret->element;
+    *elem = &ret->element;
+    return S_OK;
 }
diff --git a/dlls/mshtml/htmlimg.c b/dlls/mshtml/htmlimg.c
index b0ec04e9d9a..5cc02ea1f7a 100644
--- a/dlls/mshtml/htmlimg.c
+++ b/dlls/mshtml/htmlimg.c
@@ -820,10 +820,11 @@ static HRESULT WINAPI HTMLImageElementFactory_create(IHTMLImageElementFactory *i
     if(FAILED(hres))
         return hres;
 
-    elem = HTMLElement_Create(This->window->doc, (nsIDOMNode*)nselem, FALSE);
-    if(!elem) {
+    hres = HTMLElement_Create(This->window->doc, (nsIDOMNode*)nselem, FALSE, &elem);
+    nsIDOMHTMLElement_Release(nselem);
+    if(FAILED(hres)) {
         ERR("HTMLElement_Create failed\n");
-        return E_FAIL;
+        return hres;
     }
 
     hres = IHTMLElement_QueryInterface(HTMLELEM(elem), &IID_IHTMLImgElement, (void**)&img);
@@ -832,8 +833,6 @@ static HRESULT WINAPI HTMLImageElementFactory_create(IHTMLImageElementFactory *i
         return hres;
     }
 
-    nsIDOMHTMLElement_Release(nselem);
-
     l = var_to_size(&width);
     if(l)
         IHTMLImgElement_put_width(img, l);
diff --git a/dlls/mshtml/htmlnode.c b/dlls/mshtml/htmlnode.c
index aa1f55dd433..fd496b93ca2 100644
--- a/dlls/mshtml/htmlnode.c
+++ b/dlls/mshtml/htmlnode.c
@@ -1001,9 +1001,14 @@ static HRESULT create_node(HTMLDocumentNode *doc, nsIDOMNode *nsnode, HTMLDOMNod
     nsIDOMNode_GetNodeType(nsnode, &node_type);
 
     switch(node_type) {
-    case ELEMENT_NODE:
-        *ret = &HTMLElement_Create(doc, nsnode, FALSE)->node;
+    case ELEMENT_NODE: {
+        HTMLElement *elem;
+        hres = HTMLElement_Create(doc, nsnode, FALSE, &elem);
+        if(FAILED(hres))
+            return hres;
+        *ret = &elem->node;
         break;
+    }
     case TEXT_NODE:
         hres = HTMLDOMTextNode_Create(doc, nsnode, ret);
         if(FAILED(hres))
diff --git a/dlls/mshtml/mshtml_private.h b/dlls/mshtml/mshtml_private.h
index b8ffffef551..53f2e877d4c 100644
--- a/dlls/mshtml/mshtml_private.h
+++ b/dlls/mshtml/mshtml_private.h
@@ -820,7 +820,7 @@ HRESULT create_nselem(HTMLDocumentNode*,const WCHAR*,nsIDOMHTMLElement**);
 
 HRESULT HTMLDOMTextNode_Create(HTMLDocumentNode*,nsIDOMNode*,HTMLDOMNode**);
 
-HTMLElement *HTMLElement_Create(HTMLDocumentNode*,nsIDOMNode*,BOOL);
+HRESULT HTMLElement_Create(HTMLDocumentNode*,nsIDOMNode*,BOOL,HTMLElement**);
 HRESULT HTMLCommentElement_Create(HTMLDocumentNode*,nsIDOMNode*,HTMLElement**);
 HTMLElement *HTMLAnchorElement_Create(HTMLDocumentNode*,nsIDOMHTMLElement*);
 HTMLElement *HTMLBodyElement_Create(HTMLDocumentNode*,nsIDOMHTMLElement*);
@@ -838,7 +838,7 @@ HTMLElement *HTMLSelectElement_Create(HTMLDocumentNode*,nsIDOMHTMLElement*);
 HTMLElement *HTMLTable_Create(HTMLDocumentNode*,nsIDOMHTMLElement*);
 HTMLElement *HTMLTableRow_Create(HTMLDocumentNode*,nsIDOMHTMLElement*);
 HTMLElement *HTMLTextAreaElement_Create(HTMLDocumentNode*,nsIDOMHTMLElement*);
-HTMLElement *HTMLGenericElement_Create(HTMLDocumentNode*,nsIDOMHTMLElement*);
+HRESULT HTMLGenericElement_Create(HTMLDocumentNode*,nsIDOMHTMLElement*,HTMLElement**);
 
 void HTMLDOMNode_Init(HTMLDocumentNode*,HTMLDOMNode*,nsIDOMNode*);
 void HTMLElement_Init(HTMLElement*,HTMLDocumentNode*,nsIDOMHTMLElement*,dispex_static_data_t*);