diff --git a/lib/checkleakautovar.cpp b/lib/checkleakautovar.cpp
index bdf255fff..c35665aca 100644
--- a/lib/checkleakautovar.cpp
+++ b/lib/checkleakautovar.cpp
@@ -246,7 +246,7 @@ static bool isLocalVarNoAutoDealloc(const Token *varTok, const bool isCpp)
         return false;
 
     // Don't check reference variables
-    if (var->isReference())
+    if (var->isReference() && !var->isArgument())
         return false;
 
     // non-pod variable
@@ -1077,7 +1077,7 @@ void CheckLeakAutoVar::ret(const Token *tok, VarInfo &varInfo, const bool isEndO
             if (used && it->second.status == VarInfo::DEALLOC)
                 deallocReturnError(tok, it->second.allocTok, var->name());
 
-            else if (!used && !it->second.managed()) {
+            else if (!used && !it->second.managed() && !var->isReference()) {
                 const auto use = possibleUsage.find(varid);
                 if (use == possibleUsage.end()) {
                     leakError(tok, var->name(), it->second.type);
diff --git a/test/testleakautovar.cpp b/test/testleakautovar.cpp
index 04d7ad1e1..790f28098 100644
--- a/test/testleakautovar.cpp
+++ b/test/testleakautovar.cpp
@@ -2324,11 +2324,32 @@ private:
         ASSERT_EQUALS("", errout.str());
     }
 
-    void test1() { // 3809
-        check("void f(double*&p) {\n"
+    void test1() {
+        check("void f(double*&p) {\n" // 3809
               "    p = malloc(0x100);\n"
               "}", /*cpp*/ true);
         ASSERT_EQUALS("", errout.str());
+
+        check("void f(int*& p) {\n" // #4400
+              "    p = (int*)malloc(4);\n"
+              "    p = (int*)malloc(4);\n"
+              "}\n", /*cpp*/ true);
+        ASSERT_EQUALS("[test.cpp:3]: (error) Memory leak: p\n", errout.str());
+
+        check("void f() {\n"
+              "    int* p = (int*)malloc(4);\n"
+              "    int*& r = p;\n"
+              "    r = (int*)malloc(4);\n"
+              "}\n", /*cpp*/ true);
+        TODO_ASSERT_EQUALS("[test.cpp:4]: (error) Memory leak: p\n", "", errout.str());
+
+        check("void f() {\n"
+              "    int* p = (int*)malloc(4);\n"
+              "    int*& r = p;\n"
+              "    free(r);\n"
+              "    p = (int*)malloc(4);\n"
+              "}\n", /*cpp*/ true);
+        TODO_ASSERT_EQUALS("", "[test.cpp:6]: (error) Memory leak: p\n", errout.str());
     }
 
     void test2() { // 3899