diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Serializer/Normalizer/AbstractNormalizer.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Serializer/Normalizer/AbstractNormalizer.php
index 4de4771770..93dfba9a39 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Serializer/Normalizer/AbstractNormalizer.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Serializer/Normalizer/AbstractNormalizer.php
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ abstract class AbstractNormalizer extends SerializerAwareNormalizer implements N
      *
      * @throws RuntimeException
      */
-    protected function instantiateObject(array $data, $class, array &$context, \ReflectionClass $reflectionClass, $allowedAttributes)
+    protected function instantiateObject(array &$data, $class, array &$context, \ReflectionClass $reflectionClass, $allowedAttributes)
     {
         if (
             isset($context['object_to_populate']) &&
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Serializer/Normalizer/GetSetMethodNormalizer.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Serializer/Normalizer/GetSetMethodNormalizer.php
index de4c3ece1d..44a71cf1b4 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Serializer/Normalizer/GetSetMethodNormalizer.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Serializer/Normalizer/GetSetMethodNormalizer.php
@@ -102,6 +102,7 @@ class GetSetMethodNormalizer extends AbstractNormalizer
         $reflectionClass = new \ReflectionClass($class);
         $object = $this->instantiateObject($normalizedData, $class, $context, $reflectionClass, $allowedAttributes);
 
+        $classMethods = get_class_methods($object);
         foreach ($normalizedData as $attribute => $value) {
             if ($this->nameConverter) {
                 $attribute = $this->nameConverter->denormalize($attribute);
@@ -113,7 +114,7 @@ class GetSetMethodNormalizer extends AbstractNormalizer
             if ($allowed && !$ignored) {
                 $setter = 'set'.ucfirst($attribute);
 
-                if (method_exists($object, $setter)) {
+                if (in_array($setter, $classMethods)) {
                     $object->$setter($value);
                 }
             }
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Serializer/Tests/Normalizer/GetSetMethodNormalizerTest.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Serializer/Tests/Normalizer/GetSetMethodNormalizerTest.php
index 92051863d5..32d729a211 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Serializer/Tests/Normalizer/GetSetMethodNormalizerTest.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Serializer/Tests/Normalizer/GetSetMethodNormalizerTest.php
@@ -228,6 +228,12 @@ class GetSetMethodNormalizerTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
         $this->assertEquals('bar', $obj->getBar());
     }
 
+    public function testConstructorWArgWithPrivateMutator()
+    {
+        $obj = $this->normalizer->denormalize(array('foo' => 'bar'), __NAMESPACE__.'\ObjectConstructorArgsWithPrivateMutatorDummy', 'any');
+        $this->assertEquals('bar', $obj->getFoo());
+    }
+
     public function testGroupsNormalize()
     {
         $classMetadataFactory = new ClassMetadataFactory(new AnnotationLoader(new AnnotationReader()));
@@ -511,8 +517,8 @@ class GetSetMethodNormalizerTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
     public function testDenormalizeNonExistingAttribute()
     {
         $this->assertEquals(
-            new PropertyDummy(),
-            $this->normalizer->denormalize(array('non_existing' => true), __NAMESPACE__.'\PropertyDummy')
+            new GetSetDummy(),
+            $this->normalizer->denormalize(array('non_existing' => true), __NAMESPACE__.'\GetSetDummy')
         );
     }
 
@@ -520,6 +526,12 @@ class GetSetMethodNormalizerTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
     {
         $this->assertFalse($this->normalizer->supportsNormalization(new \ArrayObject()));
     }
+
+    public function testPrivateSetter()
+    {
+        $obj = $this->normalizer->denormalize(array('foo' => 'foobar'), __NAMESPACE__.'\ObjectWithPrivateSetterDummy');
+        $this->assertEquals('bar', $obj->getFoo());
+    }
 }
 
 class GetSetDummy
@@ -726,3 +738,37 @@ class GetCamelizedDummy
         return $this->bar_foo;
     }
 }
+
+class ObjectConstructorArgsWithPrivateMutatorDummy
+{
+    private $foo;
+
+    public function __construct($foo)
+    {
+        $this->setFoo($foo);
+    }
+
+    public function getFoo()
+    {
+        return $this->foo;
+    }
+
+    private function setFoo($foo)
+    {
+        $this->foo = $foo;
+    }
+}
+
+class ObjectWithPrivateSetterDummy
+{
+    private $foo = 'bar';
+
+    public function getFoo()
+    {
+        return $this->foo;
+    }
+
+    private function setFoo($foo)
+    {
+    }
+}