diff --git a/UPGRADE-2.1.md b/UPGRADE-2.1.md
index 3ee840a06b..d8314e023c 100644
--- a/UPGRADE-2.1.md
+++ b/UPGRADE-2.1.md
@@ -593,6 +593,28 @@
   * Core translation messages are changed. Dot is added at the end of each message.
     Overwritten core translations should be fixed if any. More info here.
 
+  * Collections (arrays or instances of `\Traversable`) in properties
+    annotated with `Valid` are not traversed recursively by default anymore.
+
+    This means that if a collection contains an entry which is again a
+    collection, the inner collection won't be traversed anymore as it
+    happened before. You can set the BC behavior by setting the new property
+    `deep` of `Valid` to `true`.
+
+    Before:
+
+    ```
+    /** @Assert\Valid */
+    private $recursiveCollection;
+    ```
+
+    After:
+
+    ```
+    /** @Assert\Valid(deep = true) */
+    private $recursiveCollection;
+    ```
+
 ### Session
 
   * Flash messages now return an array based on their type. The old method is
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/CHANGELOG.md b/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/CHANGELOG.md
index 34cc3061c1..43d895d0b6 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -20,3 +20,6 @@ CHANGELOG
  * [BC BREAK] ConstraintValidatorInterface method `isValid` has been renamed to
    `validate`, its return value was dropped. ConstraintValidator still contains
    `isValid` for BC
+ * [BC BREAK] collections in fields annotated with `Valid` are not traversed
+   recursively anymore by default. `Valid` contains a new property `deep`
+   which enables the BC behavior.
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/Constraints/Valid.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/Constraints/Valid.php
index 3f1a20cb42..10c8b0d8d6 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/Constraints/Valid.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/Constraints/Valid.php
@@ -21,4 +21,6 @@ use Symfony\Component\Validator\Constraint;
 class Valid extends Constraint
 {
     public $traverse = true;
+
+    public $deep = false;
 }
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/GraphWalker.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/GraphWalker.php
index 887d82cf88..54fd92e050 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/GraphWalker.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/GraphWalker.php
@@ -137,11 +137,11 @@ class GraphWalker
         }
 
         if ($metadata->isCascaded()) {
-            $this->walkReference($value, $propagatedGroup ?: $group, $propertyPath, $metadata->isCollectionCascaded());
+            $this->walkReference($value, $propagatedGroup ?: $group, $propertyPath, $metadata->isCollectionCascaded(), $metadata->isCollectionCascadedDeeply());
         }
     }
 
-    public function walkReference($value, $group, $propertyPath, $traverse)
+    public function walkReference($value, $group, $propertyPath, $traverse, $deep = false)
     {
         if (null !== $value) {
             if (!is_object($value) && !is_array($value)) {
@@ -152,7 +152,8 @@ class GraphWalker
                 foreach ($value as $key => $element) {
                     // Ignore any scalar values in the collection
                     if (is_object($element) || is_array($element)) {
-                        $this->walkReference($element, $group, $propertyPath.'['.$key.']', $traverse);
+                        // Only repeat the traversal if $deep is set
+                        $this->walkReference($element, $group, $propertyPath.'['.$key.']', $deep, $deep);
                     }
                 }
             }
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/Mapping/MemberMetadata.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/Mapping/MemberMetadata.php
index 949adf4607..30d022d75f 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/Mapping/MemberMetadata.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/Mapping/MemberMetadata.php
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ abstract class MemberMetadata extends ElementMetadata
     public $property;
     public $cascaded = false;
     public $collectionCascaded = false;
+    public $collectionCascadedDeeply = false;
     private $reflMember;
 
     /**
@@ -52,7 +53,9 @@ abstract class MemberMetadata extends ElementMetadata
 
         if ($constraint instanceof Valid) {
             $this->cascaded = true;
+            /* @var Valid $constraint */
             $this->collectionCascaded = $constraint->traverse;
+            $this->collectionCascadedDeeply = $constraint->deep;
         } else {
             parent::addConstraint($constraint);
         }
@@ -156,6 +159,17 @@ abstract class MemberMetadata extends ElementMetadata
         return $this->collectionCascaded;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Returns whether arrays or traversable objects stored in this member
+     * should be traversed recursively for inner arrays/traversable objects
+     *
+     * @return Boolean
+     */
+    public function isCollectionCascadedDeeply()
+    {
+        return $this->collectionCascadedDeeply;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Returns the value of this property in the given object
      *
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/Tests/GraphWalkerTest.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/Tests/GraphWalkerTest.php
index 3a69e4c31b..5fd8b186c7 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/Tests/GraphWalkerTest.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Validator/Tests/GraphWalkerTest.php
@@ -357,6 +357,77 @@ class GraphWalkerTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
         $this->assertEquals($violations, $this->walker->getViolations());
     }
 
+    public function testWalkCascadedPropertyDoesNotRecurseByDefault()
+    {
+        $entity = new Entity();
+        $entityMetadata = new ClassMetadata(get_class($entity));
+        $this->factory->addClassMetadata($entityMetadata);
+        $this->factory->addClassMetadata(new ClassMetadata('ArrayIterator'));
+
+        // add a constraint for the entity that always fails
+        $entityMetadata->addConstraint(new FailingConstraint());
+
+        // validate iterator when validating the property "reference"
+        $this->metadata->addPropertyConstraint('reference', new Valid());
+
+        $this->walker->walkPropertyValue(
+            $this->metadata,
+            'reference',
+            new \ArrayIterator(array(
+                // The inner iterator should not be traversed by default
+                'key' => new \ArrayIterator(array(
+                    'nested' => $entity,
+                )),
+            )),
+            'Default',
+            'path'
+        );
+
+        $violations = new ConstraintViolationList();
+
+        $this->assertEquals($violations, $this->walker->getViolations());
+    }
+
+    public function testWalkCascadedPropertyRecursesIfDeepIsSet()
+    {
+        $entity = new Entity();
+        $entityMetadata = new ClassMetadata(get_class($entity));
+        $this->factory->addClassMetadata($entityMetadata);
+        $this->factory->addClassMetadata(new ClassMetadata('ArrayIterator'));
+
+        // add a constraint for the entity that always fails
+        $entityMetadata->addConstraint(new FailingConstraint());
+
+        // validate iterator when validating the property "reference"
+        $this->metadata->addPropertyConstraint('reference', new Valid(array(
+            'deep' => true,
+        )));
+
+        $this->walker->walkPropertyValue(
+            $this->metadata,
+            'reference',
+            new \ArrayIterator(array(
+                // The inner iterator should now be traversed
+                'key' => new \ArrayIterator(array(
+                    'nested' => $entity,
+                )),
+            )),
+            'Default',
+            'path'
+        );
+
+        $violations = new ConstraintViolationList();
+        $violations->add(new ConstraintViolation(
+            'Failed',
+            array(),
+            'Root',
+            'path[key][nested]',
+            $entity
+        ));
+
+        $this->assertEquals($violations, $this->walker->getViolations());
+    }
+
     public function testWalkCascadedPropertyDoesNotValidateNestedScalarValues()
     {
         // validate array when validating the property "reference"