diff --git a/src/conf/storage_source_conf.c b/src/conf/storage_source_conf.c
index 2b658dd485..ca956a1b7c 100644
--- a/src/conf/storage_source_conf.c
+++ b/src/conf/storage_source_conf.c
@@ -917,6 +917,8 @@ virStorageSourceCopy(const virStorageSource *src,
     def->nfs_uid = src->nfs_uid;
     def->nfs_gid = src->nfs_gid;
 
+    /* 'ioerror_timestamp' and 'ioerror_message' are deliberately not copied */
+
     return g_steal_pointer(&def);
 }
 
@@ -1203,6 +1205,9 @@ virStorageSourceClear(virStorageSource *def)
 
     g_clear_pointer(&def->fdtuple, g_object_unref);
 
+    VIR_FREE(def->ioerror_timestamp);
+    VIR_FREE(def->ioerror_message);
+
     /* clear everything except the class header as the object APIs
      * will break otherwise */
     memset((char *) def + sizeof(def->parent), 0,
diff --git a/src/conf/storage_source_conf.h b/src/conf/storage_source_conf.h
index 9463722518..e6cbb93c06 100644
--- a/src/conf/storage_source_conf.h
+++ b/src/conf/storage_source_conf.h
@@ -445,6 +445,12 @@ struct _virStorageSource {
      * to do this decision.
      */
     bool seclabelSkipRemember;
+
+    /* Last instance of hypervisor originated I/O error message and timestamp.
+     * The error stored here is not designed to be stable. The message
+     * is also not copied via virStorageSourceCopy */
+    char *ioerror_timestamp;
+    char *ioerror_message;
 };
 
 G_DEFINE_AUTOPTR_CLEANUP_FUNC(virStorageSource, virObjectUnref);