diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/typecheck.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/typecheck.go
index 6f0f4f58e3..23c60fa0d0 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/typecheck.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/typecheck.go
@@ -3113,7 +3113,6 @@ func typecheckcomplit(n *Node) *Node {
 	}
 
 	if nerr != nerrors {
-		n.Type = nil
 		return n
 	}
 
diff --git a/test/fixedbugs/issue17645.go b/test/fixedbugs/issue17645.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ed92c54cfa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixedbugs/issue17645.go
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+// errorcheck
+
+// Copyright 2016 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+package main
+
+type Foo struct {
+	X int
+}
+
+func main() {
+	var s []int
+	var _ string = append(s, Foo{""})  // ERROR "cannot use .. \(type string\) as type int in field value" "cannot use Foo literal \(type Foo\) as type int in append" "cannot use append\(s\, Foo literal\) \(type \[\]int\) as type string in assignment"
+}
+