diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Output/ConsoleOutput.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Output/ConsoleOutput.php
index b5eaf154fa..3560f1c6fc 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Output/ConsoleOutput.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Output/ConsoleOutput.php
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ class ConsoleOutput extends StreamOutput implements ConsoleOutputInterface
 
         parent::__construct(fopen($outputStream, 'w'), $verbosity, $decorated, $formatter);
 
-        $this->stderr = new StreamOutput(fopen('php://stderr', 'w'), $verbosity, $decorated, $formatter);
+        $this->stderr = new StreamOutput(fopen('php://stderr', 'w'), $verbosity, $decorated, $this->getFormatter());
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Output/ConsoleOutputTest.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Output/ConsoleOutputTest.php
index 7a3ede3ba8..1afbbb6e6c 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Output/ConsoleOutputTest.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Output/ConsoleOutputTest.php
@@ -20,5 +20,6 @@ class ConsoleOutputTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
     {
         $output = new ConsoleOutput(Output::VERBOSITY_QUIET, true);
         $this->assertEquals(Output::VERBOSITY_QUIET, $output->getVerbosity(), '__construct() takes the verbosity as its first argument');
+        $this->assertSame($output->getFormatter(), $output->getErrorOutput()->getFormatter(), '__construct() takes a formatter or null as the third argument');
     }
 }