diff --git a/content/base/public/nsIMessageManager.idl b/content/base/public/nsIMessageManager.idl
index ce9c32f8178..eae400a1b5e 100644
--- a/content/base/public/nsIMessageManager.idl
+++ b/content/base/public/nsIMessageManager.idl
@@ -222,6 +222,13 @@ interface nsIMessageSender : nsIMessageListenerManager
    *
    * See nsIMessageListener::receiveMessage() for the format of the
    * data delivered to listeners.
+   * @throws NS_ERROR_NOT_INITIALIZED if the sender is not initialized.  For
+   *         example, we will throw NS_ERROR_NOT_INITIALIZED if we try to send
+   *         a message to a cross-process frame but the other process has not
+   *         yet been set up.
+   * @throws NS_ERROR_FAILURE when the message receiver cannot be found.  For
+   *         example, we will throw NS_ERROR_FAILURE if we try to send a message
+   *         to a cross-process frame whose process has crashed.
    */
   [implicit_jscontext, optional_argc]
   void sendAsyncMessage([optional] in AString messageName,
diff --git a/content/base/src/nsFrameLoader.cpp b/content/base/src/nsFrameLoader.cpp
index 5ddf530f549..d950ba2fb5e 100644
--- a/content/base/src/nsFrameLoader.cpp
+++ b/content/base/src/nsFrameLoader.cpp
@@ -2244,11 +2244,16 @@ bool SendAsyncMessageToChild(void* aCallbackData,
     return tabParent->SendAsyncMessage(nsString(aMessage), data);
   }
 
-  nsRefPtr<nsIRunnable> ev =
-    new nsAsyncMessageToChild(static_cast<nsFrameLoader*>(aCallbackData),
-                                    aMessage, aData);
-  NS_DispatchToCurrentThread(ev);
-  return true;
+  if (static_cast<nsFrameLoader*>(aCallbackData)->mChildMessageManager) {
+    nsRefPtr<nsIRunnable> ev =
+      new nsAsyncMessageToChild(static_cast<nsFrameLoader*>(aCallbackData),
+                                aMessage, aData);
+    NS_DispatchToCurrentThread(ev);
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  // We don't have any targets to send our asynchronous message to.
+  return false;
 }
 
 NS_IMETHODIMP
diff --git a/content/base/src/nsFrameMessageManager.cpp b/content/base/src/nsFrameMessageManager.cpp
index 5e914112269..0e79e76c5e0 100644
--- a/content/base/src/nsFrameMessageManager.cpp
+++ b/content/base/src/nsFrameMessageManager.cpp
@@ -287,7 +287,10 @@ nsFrameMessageManager::DispatchAsyncMessageInternal(const nsAString& aMessage,
 {
   if (mAsyncCallback) {
     NS_ENSURE_TRUE(mCallbackData, NS_ERROR_NOT_INITIALIZED);
-    mAsyncCallback(mCallbackData, aMessage, aData);
+
+    if (!mAsyncCallback(mCallbackData, aMessage, aData)) {
+      return NS_ERROR_FAILURE;
+    }
   }
   if (aBroadcast == BROADCAST) {
     int32_t len = mChildManagers.Count();
diff --git a/dom/browser-element/BrowserElementParent.js b/dom/browser-element/BrowserElementParent.js
index a13128d496e..e9c1c59ae2e 100644
--- a/dom/browser-element/BrowserElementParent.js
+++ b/dom/browser-element/BrowserElementParent.js
@@ -322,15 +322,9 @@ BrowserElementParent.prototype = {
     try {
       this._mm.sendAsyncMessage('browser-element-api:' + msg, data);
     } catch (e) {
-      // Ignore NS_ERROR_NOT_INITIALIZED. This exception is thrown when
-      // we call _sendAsyncMsg if our frame is not in the DOM, in which case
-      // we don't have child to receive the message.
-      if (e.result == Cr.NS_ERROR_NOT_INITIALIZED) {
-        debug("Handle NS_ERROR_NOT_INITIALIZED");
-        return;
-      }
-      throw e;
+      return false;
     }
+    return true;
   },
 
   _recvHello: function(data) {
@@ -462,8 +456,11 @@ BrowserElementParent.prototype = {
   _sendDOMRequest: function(msgName) {
     let id = 'req_' + this._domRequestCounter++;
     let req = Services.DOMRequest.createRequest(this._window);
-    this._pendingDOMRequests[id] = req;
-    this._sendAsyncMsg(msgName, {id: id});
+    if (this._sendAsyncMsg(msgName, {id: id})) {
+      this._pendingDOMRequests[id] = req;
+    } else {
+      Services.DOMRequest.fireErrorAsync(req, "fail");
+    }
     return req;
   },