diff --git a/include/gtest/gtest-spi.h b/include/gtest/gtest-spi.h
index e338e36d..b226e550 100644
--- a/include/gtest/gtest-spi.h
+++ b/include/gtest/gtest-spi.h
@@ -98,12 +98,12 @@ class GTEST_API_ SingleFailureChecker {
   // The constructor remembers the arguments.
   SingleFailureChecker(const TestPartResultArray* results,
                        TestPartResult::Type type,
-                       const char* substr);
+                       const string& substr);
   ~SingleFailureChecker();
  private:
   const TestPartResultArray* const results_;
   const TestPartResult::Type type_;
-  const String substr_;
+  const string substr_;
 
   GTEST_DISALLOW_COPY_AND_ASSIGN_(SingleFailureChecker);
 };
diff --git a/src/gtest.cc b/src/gtest.cc
index 34e56d75..3b2238f4 100644
--- a/src/gtest.cc
+++ b/src/gtest.cc
@@ -607,7 +607,7 @@ AssertionResult HasOneFailure(const char* /* results_expr */,
                               const char* /* substr_expr */,
                               const TestPartResultArray& results,
                               TestPartResult::Type type,
-                              const char* substr) {
+                              const string& substr) {
   const String expected(type == TestPartResult::kFatalFailure ?
                         "1 fatal failure" :
                         "1 non-fatal failure");
@@ -629,7 +629,7 @@ AssertionResult HasOneFailure(const char* /* results_expr */,
     return AssertionFailure(msg);
   }
 
-  if (strstr(r.message(), substr) == NULL) {
+  if (strstr(r.message(), substr.c_str()) == NULL) {
     msg << "Expected: " << expected << " containing \""
         << substr << "\"\n"
         << "  Actual:\n"
@@ -646,7 +646,7 @@ AssertionResult HasOneFailure(const char* /* results_expr */,
 SingleFailureChecker:: SingleFailureChecker(
     const TestPartResultArray* results,
     TestPartResult::Type type,
-    const char* substr)
+    const string& substr)
     : results_(results),
       type_(type),
       substr_(substr) {}
@@ -656,7 +656,7 @@ SingleFailureChecker:: SingleFailureChecker(
 // type and contains the given substring.  If that's not the case, a
 // non-fatal failure will be generated.
 SingleFailureChecker::~SingleFailureChecker() {
-  EXPECT_PRED_FORMAT3(HasOneFailure, *results_, type_, substr_.c_str());
+  EXPECT_PRED_FORMAT3(HasOneFailure, *results_, type_, substr_);
 }
 
 DefaultGlobalTestPartResultReporter::DefaultGlobalTestPartResultReporter(
diff --git a/test/gtest_unittest.cc b/test/gtest_unittest.cc
index 8e3e7e60..056064fa 100644
--- a/test/gtest_unittest.cc
+++ b/test/gtest_unittest.cc
@@ -1335,6 +1335,17 @@ TEST_F(ExpectFatalFailureTest, CatchesFatalFaliure) {
   EXPECT_FATAL_FAILURE(AddFatalFailure(), "Expected fatal failure.");
 }
 
+#if GTEST_HAS_GLOBAL_STRING
+TEST_F(ExpectFatalFailureTest, AcceptsStringObject) {
+  EXPECT_FATAL_FAILURE(AddFatalFailure(), ::string("Expected fatal failure."));
+}
+#endif
+
+TEST_F(ExpectFatalFailureTest, AcceptsStdStringObject) {
+  EXPECT_FATAL_FAILURE(AddFatalFailure(),
+                       ::std::string("Expected fatal failure."));
+}
+
 TEST_F(ExpectFatalFailureTest, CatchesFatalFailureOnAllThreads) {
   // We have another test below to verify that the macro catches fatal
   // failures generated on another thread.
@@ -1412,6 +1423,18 @@ TEST_F(ExpectNonfatalFailureTest, CatchesNonfatalFailure) {
                           "Expected non-fatal failure.");
 }
 
+#if GTEST_HAS_GLOBAL_STRING
+TEST_F(ExpectNonfatalFailureTest, AcceptsStringObject) {
+  EXPECT_NONFATAL_FAILURE(AddNonfatalFailure(),
+                          ::string("Expected non-fatal failure."));
+}
+#endif
+
+TEST_F(ExpectNonfatalFailureTest, AcceptsStdStringObject) {
+  EXPECT_NONFATAL_FAILURE(AddNonfatalFailure(),
+                          ::std::string("Expected non-fatal failure."));
+}
+
 TEST_F(ExpectNonfatalFailureTest, CatchesNonfatalFailureOnAllThreads) {
   // We have another test below to verify that the macro catches
   // non-fatal failures generated on another thread.