diff --git a/include/cantera/numerics/CVodesIntegrator.h b/include/cantera/numerics/CVodesIntegrator.h
index 6c3b27cf4..68907df7d 100644
--- a/include/cantera/numerics/CVodesIntegrator.h
+++ b/include/cantera/numerics/CVodesIntegrator.h
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ public:
     virtual void setMaxStepSize(double hmax);
     virtual void setMinStepSize(double hmin);
     virtual void setMaxSteps(int nmax);
+    virtual void setMaxErrTestFails(int n);
     virtual void setBandwidth(int N_Upper, int N_Lower) {
         m_mupper = N_Upper;
         m_mlower = N_Lower;
@@ -111,6 +112,7 @@ private:
     size_t m_nabs;
     double m_hmax, m_hmin;
     int m_maxsteps;
+    int m_maxErrTestFails;
     FuncData* m_fdata;
     N_Vector*  m_yS;
     size_t m_np;
diff --git a/include/cantera/numerics/Integrator.h b/include/cantera/numerics/Integrator.h
index 3cb79dd05..a6c810785 100644
--- a/include/cantera/numerics/Integrator.h
+++ b/include/cantera/numerics/Integrator.h
@@ -184,6 +184,11 @@ public:
         warn("setMinStepSize");
     }
 
+    //! Set the maximum permissible number of error test failures
+    virtual void setMaxErrTestFails(int n) {
+        warn("setMaxErrTestFails");
+    }
+
     virtual void setMaxSteps(int nmax) {
         warn("setMaxStep");
     }
diff --git a/include/cantera/zeroD/ReactorNet.h b/include/cantera/zeroD/ReactorNet.h
index bc6a8989f..be47162da 100644
--- a/include/cantera/zeroD/ReactorNet.h
+++ b/include/cantera/zeroD/ReactorNet.h
@@ -46,6 +46,13 @@ public:
         m_init = false;
     }
 
+    //! Set the maximum number of error test failures permitted by the CVODES
+    //! integrator in a single time step.
+    void setMaxErrTestFails(int nmax) {
+        m_maxErrTestFails = nmax;
+        m_init = false;
+    }
+
     void setTolerances(doublereal rtol, doublereal atol) {
         if (rtol >= 0.0) {
             m_rtol = rtol;
@@ -189,6 +196,7 @@ protected:
     doublereal m_rtol, m_rtolsens;
     doublereal m_atols, m_atolsens;
     doublereal m_maxstep;
+    int m_maxErrTestFails;
     bool m_verbose;
     size_t m_ntotpar;
     std::vector<size_t> m_nparams;
diff --git a/interfaces/cython/cantera/_cantera.pxd b/interfaces/cython/cantera/_cantera.pxd
index 9dcbfdb3b..3a9406706 100644
--- a/interfaces/cython/cantera/_cantera.pxd
+++ b/interfaces/cython/cantera/_cantera.pxd
@@ -322,6 +322,7 @@ cdef extern from "cantera/zeroD/ReactorNet.h":
         double rtol()
         double atol()
         void setMaxTimeStep(double)
+        void setMaxErrTestFails(int)
         cbool verbose()
         void setVerbose(cbool)
         size_t neq()
diff --git a/interfaces/cython/cantera/reactor.pyx b/interfaces/cython/cantera/reactor.pyx
index dbc28de3f..75199579a 100644
--- a/interfaces/cython/cantera/reactor.pyx
+++ b/interfaces/cython/cantera/reactor.pyx
@@ -729,6 +729,14 @@ cdef class ReactorNet:
         """
         self.net.setMaxTimeStep(t)
 
+    property max_err_test_fails:
+        """
+        The maximum number of error test failures permitted by the CVODES
+        integrator in a single time step.
+        """
+        def __set__(self, n):
+            self.net.setMaxErrTestFails(n)
+
     property rtol:
         """
         The relative error tolerance used while integrating the reactor
diff --git a/src/numerics/CVodeInt.h b/src/numerics/CVodeInt.h
index 01c62cfda..dea0a8608 100644
--- a/src/numerics/CVodeInt.h
+++ b/src/numerics/CVodeInt.h
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ public:
     virtual void setMaxStepSize(double hmax);
     virtual void setMinStepSize(double hmin);
     virtual void setMaxSteps(int nmax);
+    virtual void setMaxErrTestFails(int nmax) {}
 
 private:
 
diff --git a/src/numerics/CVodesIntegrator.cpp b/src/numerics/CVodesIntegrator.cpp
index 3e3002b5b..16e0dbb55 100644
--- a/src/numerics/CVodesIntegrator.cpp
+++ b/src/numerics/CVodesIntegrator.cpp
@@ -129,6 +129,7 @@ CVodesIntegrator::CVodesIntegrator() :
     m_hmax(0.0),
     m_hmin(0.0),
     m_maxsteps(20000),
+    m_maxErrTestFails(0),
     m_fdata(0),
     m_np(0),
     m_mupper(0), m_mlower(0),
@@ -239,6 +240,14 @@ void CVodesIntegrator::setMaxSteps(int nmax)
     }
 }
 
+void CVodesIntegrator::setMaxErrTestFails(int n)
+{
+    m_maxErrTestFails = n;
+    if (m_cvode_mem) {
+        CVodeSetMaxErrTestFails(m_cvode_mem, n);
+    }
+}
+
 void CVodesIntegrator::setIterator(IterType t)
 {
     if (t == Newton_Iter) {
@@ -467,6 +476,9 @@ void CVodesIntegrator::applyOptions()
     if (m_hmin > 0) {
         CVodeSetMinStep(m_cvode_mem, m_hmin);
     }
+    if (m_maxErrTestFails > 0) {
+        CVodeSetMaxErrTestFails(m_cvode_mem, m_maxErrTestFails);
+    }
 }
 
 void CVodesIntegrator::integrate(double tout)
diff --git a/src/zeroD/ReactorNet.cpp b/src/zeroD/ReactorNet.cpp
index c08cc9a23..19af2a929 100644
--- a/src/zeroD/ReactorNet.cpp
+++ b/src/zeroD/ReactorNet.cpp
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ ReactorNet::ReactorNet() : Cantera::FuncEval(), m_nr(0), m_nreactors(0),
     m_integ(0), m_time(0.0), m_init(false),
     m_nv(0), m_rtol(1.0e-9), m_rtolsens(1.0e-4),
     m_atols(1.0e-15), m_atolsens(1.0e-4),
-    m_maxstep(-1.0),
+    m_maxstep(-1.0), m_maxErrTestFails(0),
     m_verbose(false), m_ntotpar(0)
 {
 #ifdef DEBUG_MODE
@@ -133,6 +133,7 @@ void ReactorNet::initialize()
     m_integ->setTolerances(m_rtol, neq(), DATA_PTR(m_atol));
     m_integ->setSensitivityTolerances(m_rtolsens, m_atolsens);
     m_integ->setMaxStepSize(m_maxstep);
+    m_integ->setMaxErrTestFails(m_maxErrTestFails);
     if (m_verbose) {
         sprintf(buf, "Number of equations: %s\n", int2str(neq()).c_str());
         writelog(buf);