diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/VarDumper/Cloner/VarCloner.php b/src/Symfony/Component/VarDumper/Cloner/VarCloner.php
index 9e50f23501154..9583cbf6c2577 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/VarDumper/Cloner/VarCloner.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/VarDumper/Cloner/VarCloner.php
@@ -42,11 +42,15 @@ protected function doClone($var)
         $currentDepth = 0;              // Current tree depth
         $currentDepthFinalIndex = 0;    // Final $queue index for current tree depth
         $minimumDepthReached = 0 === $minDepth; // Becomes true when minimum tree depth has been reached
-        $cookie = (object) [];     // Unique object used to detect hard references
+        $cookie = (object) [];          // Unique object used to detect hard references
         $a = null;                      // Array cast for nested structures
         $stub = null;                   // Stub capturing the main properties of an original item value
                                         // or null if the original value is used directly
 
+        if (\PHP_VERSION_ID >= 70400) {
+            $cookie = [$cookie];
+        }
+
         if (!self::$hashMask) {
             self::$gid = uniqid(mt_rand(), true); // Unique string used to detect the special $GLOBALS variable
             self::initHashMask();
@@ -86,8 +90,13 @@ protected function doClone($var)
             }
             foreach ($vals as $k => $v) {
                 // $v is the original value or a stub object in case of hard references
-                $refs[$k] = $cookie;
-                if ($zvalIsRef = $vals[$k] === $cookie) {
+
+                if (\PHP_VERSION_ID < 70400 || (($zvalIsRef = null !== $r = \ReflectionReference::fromArrayElement($vals, $k)) && (!$zvalIsRef = 2 < $r->getRefcount()) && \is_array($v))) {
+                    $refs[$k] = $cookie;
+                    $zvalIsRef = $vals[$k] === $cookie;
+                }
+
+                if ($zvalIsRef) {
                     $vals[$k] = &$stub;         // Break hard references to make $queue completely
                     unset($stub);               // independent from the original structure
                     if ($v instanceof Stub && isset($hardRefs[spl_object_hash($v)])) {