diff --git a/gcc/fortran/ChangeLog b/gcc/fortran/ChangeLog
index 45cec953230c..540d356366ed 100644
--- a/gcc/fortran/ChangeLog
+++ b/gcc/fortran/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+2009-08-04  Paul Thomas  <pault@gcc.gnu.org>
+
+	PR fortran/40875
+	* decl.c (add_init_expr_to_sym): Character symbols can only be
+	initialized with character expressions.
+
 2009-08-02  Janus Weil  <janus@gcc.gnu.org>
 
 	PR fortran/40881
diff --git a/gcc/fortran/decl.c b/gcc/fortran/decl.c
index 8dad9bf25949..86f41a3312b0 100644
--- a/gcc/fortran/decl.c
+++ b/gcc/fortran/decl.c
@@ -1253,9 +1253,13 @@ add_init_expr_to_sym (const char *name, gfc_expr **initp, locus *var_locus)
 	  && gfc_check_assign_symbol (sym, init) == FAILURE)
 	return FAILURE;
 
-      if (sym->ts.type == BT_CHARACTER && sym->ts.cl)
+      if (sym->ts.type == BT_CHARACTER && sym->ts.cl
+	    && init->ts.type == BT_CHARACTER)
 	{
 	  /* Update symbol character length according initializer.  */
+	  if (gfc_check_assign_symbol (sym, init) == FAILURE)
+	    return FAILURE;
+
 	  if (sym->ts.cl->length == NULL)
 	    {
 	      int clen;
diff --git a/gcc/testsuite/ChangeLog b/gcc/testsuite/ChangeLog
index bd4ede19919c..3ee1adce1450 100644
--- a/gcc/testsuite/ChangeLog
+++ b/gcc/testsuite/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+2009-08-04  Paul Thomas  <pault@gcc.gnu.org>
+
+	PR fortran/40875
+	* gfortran.dg/initialization_23.f90 : New test.
+
 2009-08-04  Dodji Seketeli  <dodji@redhat.com>
 
 	PR debug/39706
diff --git a/gcc/testsuite/gfortran.dg/initialization_23.f90 b/gcc/testsuite/gfortran.dg/initialization_23.f90
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..cc2aca4e223d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gcc/testsuite/gfortran.dg/initialization_23.f90
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+! { dg-do compile }
+!
+! PR 40875: The error was missed and an ICE ensued.
+!
+! Contributed by Michael Richmond <michael.a.richmond@nasa.gov>
+!
+    MODULE cdf_aux_mod
+      PUBLIC
+      TYPE :: one_parameter
+        CHARACTER :: name
+      END TYPE one_parameter
+      CHARACTER, PARAMETER :: the_alpha = one_parameter('c') ! { dg-error "Can't convert TYPE" }
+      CHARACTER, PARAMETER :: the_beta = (/one_parameter('c')/) ! { dg-error "Incompatible ranks" }
+    END MODULE cdf_aux_mod
+
+! { dg-final { cleanup-modules "cdf_aux_mod" } }
+