diff --git a/django/core/serializers/json.py b/django/core/serializers/json.py
index 7b570f36d8..ce7cdb3179 100644
--- a/django/core/serializers/json.py
+++ b/django/core/serializers/json.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import datetime
 import decimal
 from StringIO import StringIO
 
+from django.core.serializers.base import DeserializationError
 from django.core.serializers.python import Serializer as PythonSerializer
 from django.core.serializers.python import Deserializer as PythonDeserializer
 from django.utils import simplejson
@@ -27,6 +28,7 @@ class Serializer(PythonSerializer):
         if callable(getattr(self.stream, 'getvalue', None)):
             return self.stream.getvalue()
 
+
 def Deserializer(stream_or_string, **options):
     """
     Deserialize a stream or string of JSON data.
@@ -35,8 +37,13 @@ def Deserializer(stream_or_string, **options):
         stream = StringIO(stream_or_string)
     else:
         stream = stream_or_string
-    for obj in PythonDeserializer(simplejson.load(stream), **options):
-        yield obj
+    try:
+        for obj in PythonDeserializer(simplejson.load(stream), **options):
+            yield obj
+    except Exception, e:
+        # Map to deserializer error
+        raise DeserializationError(e)
+
 
 class DjangoJSONEncoder(simplejson.JSONEncoder):
     """
diff --git a/django/core/serializers/pyyaml.py b/django/core/serializers/pyyaml.py
index a9f4575823..1f4f967ebb 100644
--- a/django/core/serializers/pyyaml.py
+++ b/django/core/serializers/pyyaml.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import decimal
 import yaml
 
 from django.db import models
+from django.core.serializers.base import DeserializationError
 from django.core.serializers.python import Serializer as PythonSerializer
 from django.core.serializers.python import Deserializer as PythonDeserializer
 
@@ -51,6 +52,9 @@ def Deserializer(stream_or_string, **options):
         stream = StringIO(stream_or_string)
     else:
         stream = stream_or_string
-    for obj in PythonDeserializer(yaml.safe_load(stream), **options):
-        yield obj
-
+    try:
+        for obj in PythonDeserializer(yaml.safe_load(stream), **options):
+            yield obj
+    except Exception, e:
+        # Map to deserializer error
+        raise DeserializationError(e)
diff --git a/tests/regressiontests/serializers_regress/tests.py b/tests/regressiontests/serializers_regress/tests.py
index 9c9022dcb8..efad176eaa 100644
--- a/tests/regressiontests/serializers_regress/tests.py
+++ b/tests/regressiontests/serializers_regress/tests.py
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ except ImportError:
 
 from django.core import serializers
 from django.core.serializers import SerializerDoesNotExist
+from django.core.serializers.base import DeserializationError
 from django.db import connection, models
 from django.test import TestCase
 from django.utils.functional import curry
@@ -390,6 +391,17 @@ class SerializerTests(TestCase):
         with self.assertRaises(SerializerDoesNotExist):
             serializers.get_deserializer("nonsense")
 
+    def test_json_deserializer_exception(self):
+        with self.assertRaises(DeserializationError):
+            for obj in serializers.deserialize("json", """[{"pk":1}"""):
+                pass
+
+    def test_yaml_deserializer_exception(self):
+        with self.assertRaises(DeserializationError):
+            for obj in serializers.deserialize("yaml", "{"):
+                pass
+
+
 def serializerTest(format, self):
 
     # Create all the objects defined in the test data