diff --git a/cmd/metacache-entries.go b/cmd/metacache-entries.go
index 3ced82825..41c3da3b1 100644
--- a/cmd/metacache-entries.go
+++ b/cmd/metacache-entries.go
@@ -168,8 +168,10 @@ func (e *metaCacheEntry) isLatestDeletemarker() bool {
 	if !isXL2V1Format(e.metadata) {
 		return false
 	}
-	if meta, _ := isIndexedMetaV2(e.metadata); meta != nil {
+	if meta, _, err := isIndexedMetaV2(e.metadata); meta != nil {
 		return meta.IsLatestDeleteMarker()
+	} else if err != nil {
+		return true
 	}
 	// Fall back...
 	xlMeta, err := e.xlmeta()
diff --git a/cmd/xl-storage-format-utils.go b/cmd/xl-storage-format-utils.go
index 51ef99a77..3d9ea8864 100644
--- a/cmd/xl-storage-format-utils.go
+++ b/cmd/xl-storage-format-utils.go
@@ -50,7 +50,9 @@ func getAllFileInfoVersions(xlMetaBuf []byte, volume, path string) (FileInfoVers
 	var versions []FileInfo
 	var err error
 
-	if buf, _ := isIndexedMetaV2(xlMetaBuf); buf != nil {
+	if buf, _, e := isIndexedMetaV2(xlMetaBuf); e != nil {
+		return FileInfoVersions{}, e
+	} else if buf != nil {
 		versions, err = buf.ListVersions(volume, path)
 	} else {
 		var xlMeta xlMetaV2
@@ -87,7 +89,9 @@ func getFileInfo(xlMetaBuf []byte, volume, path, versionID string, data bool) (F
 	var fi FileInfo
 	var err error
 	var inData xlMetaInlineData
-	if buf, data := isIndexedMetaV2(xlMetaBuf); buf != nil {
+	if buf, data, e := isIndexedMetaV2(xlMetaBuf); e != nil {
+		return FileInfo{}, e
+	} else if buf != nil {
 		inData = data
 		fi, err = buf.ToFileInfo(volume, path, versionID)
 		if len(buf) != 0 && errors.Is(err, errFileNotFound) {
diff --git a/cmd/xl-storage-format-v2.go b/cmd/xl-storage-format-v2.go
index 4d04cb841..cfa38d09b 100644
--- a/cmd/xl-storage-format-v2.go
+++ b/cmd/xl-storage-format-v2.go
@@ -793,34 +793,32 @@ func decodeVersions(buf []byte, versions int, fn func(idx int, hdr, meta []byte)
 }
 
 // isIndexedMetaV2 returns non-nil result if metadata is indexed.
-// If data doesn't validate nil is also returned.
-func isIndexedMetaV2(buf []byte) (meta xlMetaBuf, data xlMetaInlineData) {
+// Returns 3x nil if not XLV2 or not indexed.
+// If indexed and unable to parse an error will be returned.
+func isIndexedMetaV2(buf []byte) (meta xlMetaBuf, data xlMetaInlineData, err error) {
 	buf, major, minor, err := checkXL2V1(buf)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, nil
-	}
-	if major != 1 || minor < 3 {
-		return nil, nil
+	if err != nil || major != 1 || minor < 3 {
+		return nil, nil, nil
 	}
 	meta, buf, err = msgp.ReadBytesZC(buf)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, nil
+		return nil, nil, err
 	}
 	if crc, nbuf, err := msgp.ReadUint32Bytes(buf); err == nil {
 		// Read metadata CRC
 		buf = nbuf
 		if got := uint32(xxhash.Sum64(meta)); got != crc {
-			return nil, nil
+			return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("xlMetaV2.Load version(%d), CRC mismatch, want 0x%x, got 0x%x", minor, crc, got)
 		}
 	} else {
-		return nil, nil
+		return nil, nil, err
 	}
 	data = buf
 	if data.validate() != nil {
 		data.repair()
 	}
 
-	return meta, data
+	return meta, data, nil
 }
 
 type xlMetaV2ShallowVersion struct {
@@ -865,7 +863,9 @@ func (x *xlMetaV2) LoadOrConvert(buf []byte) error {
 // Load all versions of the stored data.
 // Note that references to the incoming buffer will be kept.
 func (x *xlMetaV2) Load(buf []byte) error {
-	if meta, data := isIndexedMetaV2(buf); meta != nil {
+	if meta, data, err := isIndexedMetaV2(buf); err != nil {
+		return err
+	} else if meta != nil {
 		return x.loadIndexed(meta, data)
 	}
 	// Convert older format.
diff --git a/cmd/xl-storage-format_test.go b/cmd/xl-storage-format_test.go
index ba776837c..ffdc1beb2 100644
--- a/cmd/xl-storage-format_test.go
+++ b/cmd/xl-storage-format_test.go
@@ -514,7 +514,7 @@ func BenchmarkXlMetaV2Shallow(b *testing.B) {
 				b.ResetTimer()
 				b.ReportAllocs()
 				for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
-					buf, _ := isIndexedMetaV2(enc)
+					buf, _, _ := isIndexedMetaV2(enc)
 					if buf == nil {
 						b.Fatal("buf == nil")
 					}
@@ -529,7 +529,7 @@ func BenchmarkXlMetaV2Shallow(b *testing.B) {
 				b.ResetTimer()
 				b.ReportAllocs()
 				for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
-					buf, _ := isIndexedMetaV2(enc)
+					buf, _, _ := isIndexedMetaV2(enc)
 					if buf == nil {
 						b.Fatal("buf == nil")
 					}