diff --git a/internal/serialize/keyvalues.go b/internal/serialize/keyvalues.go
index 4f583912f..d89731368 100644
--- a/internal/serialize/keyvalues.go
+++ b/internal/serialize/keyvalues.go
@@ -126,11 +126,11 @@ func KVListFormat(b *bytes.Buffer, keysAndValues ...interface{}) {
 		// (https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/106594#issuecomment-975526235).
 		switch v := v.(type) {
 		case fmt.Stringer:
-			writeStringValue(b, true, stringerToString(v))
+			writeStringValue(b, true, StringerToString(v))
 		case string:
 			writeStringValue(b, true, v)
 		case error:
-			writeStringValue(b, true, v.Error())
+			writeStringValue(b, true, ErrorToString(v))
 		case []byte:
 			// In https://github.com/kubernetes/klog/pull/237 it was decided
 			// to format byte slices with "%+q". The advantages of that are:
@@ -151,16 +151,30 @@ func KVListFormat(b *bytes.Buffer, keysAndValues ...interface{}) {
 	}
 }
 
-func stringerToString(s fmt.Stringer) (ret string) {
+// StringerToString converts a Stringer to a string,
+// handling panics if they occur.
+func StringerToString(s fmt.Stringer) (ret string) {
 	defer func() {
 		if err := recover(); err != nil {
-			ret = "nil"
+			ret = fmt.Sprintf("<panic: %s>", err)
 		}
 	}()
 	ret = s.String()
 	return
 }
 
+// ErrorToString converts an error to a string,
+// handling panics if they occur.
+func ErrorToString(err error) (ret string) {
+	defer func() {
+		if err := recover(); err != nil {
+			ret = fmt.Sprintf("<panic: %s>", err)
+		}
+	}()
+	ret = err.Error()
+	return
+}
+
 func writeStringValue(b *bytes.Buffer, quote bool, v string) {
 	data := []byte(v)
 	index := bytes.IndexByte(data, '\n')
diff --git a/internal/serialize/keyvalues_test.go b/internal/serialize/keyvalues_test.go
index f7fdaba36..affb887ec 100644
--- a/internal/serialize/keyvalues_test.go
+++ b/internal/serialize/keyvalues_test.go
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ No whitespace.`,
 		},
 		{
 			keysValues: []interface{}{"point-1", point{100, 200}, "point-2", emptyPoint},
-			want:       " point-1=\"x=100, y=200\" point-2=\"nil\"",
+			want:       " point-1=\"x=100, y=200\" point-2=\"<panic: value method k8s.io/klog/v2/internal/serialize_test.point.String called using nil *point pointer>\"",
 		},
 	}
 
diff --git a/klogr/klogr.go b/klogr/klogr.go
index 8206c10d4..48cb65815 100644
--- a/klogr/klogr.go
+++ b/klogr/klogr.go
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ func (l klogger) Error(err error, msg string, kvList ...interface{}) {
 	msgStr := flatten("msg", msg)
 	var loggableErr interface{}
 	if err != nil {
-		loggableErr = err.Error()
+		loggableErr = serialize.ErrorToString(err)
 	}
 	switch l.format {
 	case FormatSerialize:
diff --git a/test/output.go b/test/output.go
index 0c447a827..6a6cee9ea 100644
--- a/test/output.go
+++ b/test/output.go
@@ -286,6 +286,24 @@ I output.go:<LINE>] "test" firstKey=1 secondKey=3
 			text: "test",
 			err:  errors.New("whoops"),
 			expectedOutput: `E output.go:<LINE>] "test" err="whoops"
+`,
+		},
+		"Error() that panics": {
+			text: "error panic",
+			err:  (*customErrorJSON)(nil),
+			expectedOutput: `E output.go:<LINE>] "error panic" err="<panic: runtime error: invalid memory address or nil pointer dereference>"
+`,
+		},
+		"String() that panics": {
+			text:   "stringer panic",
+			values: []interface{}{"stringer", (*stringer)(nil)},
+			expectedOutput: `I output.go:<LINE>] "stringer panic" stringer="<panic: runtime error: invalid memory address or nil pointer dereference>"
+`,
+		},
+		"MarshalLog that panics": {
+			text:   "marshaler panic",
+			values: []interface{}{"obj", (*klog.ObjectRef)(nil)},
+			expectedOutput: `I output.go:<LINE>] "marshaler panic" obj="<panic: value method k8s.io/klog/v2.ObjectRef.String called using nil *ObjectRef pointer>"
 `,
 		},
 	}
@@ -699,3 +717,14 @@ func (e *customErrorJSON) Error() string {
 func (e *customErrorJSON) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
 	return json.Marshal(strings.ToUpper(e.s))
 }
+
+type stringer struct {
+	s string
+}
+
+// String crashes when called for nil.
+func (s *stringer) String() string {
+	return s.s
+}
+
+var _ fmt.Stringer = &stringer{}