diff --git a/app/models/mail_handler.rb b/app/models/mail_handler.rb
index 1927a3c..e53c877 100644
--- a/app/models/mail_handler.rb
+++ b/app/models/mail_handler.rb
@@ -124,6 +124,7 @@ class MailHandler < ActionMailer::Base
 
   def dispatch
     headers = [email.in_reply_to, email.references].flatten.compact
+    subject = email.subject.to_s
     if headers.detect {|h| h.to_s =~ MESSAGE_ID_RE}
       klass, object_id = $1, $2.to_i
       method_name = "receive_#{klass}_reply"
@@ -132,9 +133,9 @@ class MailHandler < ActionMailer::Base
       else
         # ignoring it
       end
-    elsif m = email.subject.match(ISSUE_REPLY_SUBJECT_RE)
+    elsif m = subject.match(ISSUE_REPLY_SUBJECT_RE)
       receive_issue_reply(m[1].to_i)
-    elsif m = email.subject.match(MESSAGE_REPLY_SUBJECT_RE)
+    elsif m = subject.match(MESSAGE_REPLY_SUBJECT_RE)
       receive_message_reply(m[1].to_i)
     else
       dispatch_to_default
diff --git a/test/fixtures/mail_handler/no_subject_header.eml b/test/fixtures/mail_handler/no_subject_header.eml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e6538cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/mail_handler/no_subject_header.eml
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+Content-Type: application/ms-tnef; name="winmail.dat"
+Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary
+From: John Smith <JSmith@somenet.foo>
+To: "redmine@somenet.foo" <redmine@somenet.foo>
+Date: Fri, 1 Jun 2012 14:39:38 +0200
+Message-ID: <87C31D42249DD0489D1A1444E3232DD7019D6183@foo.bar>
+Accept-Language: de-CH, en-US
+Content-Language: de-CH
+
+Fixture
diff --git a/test/unit/mail_handler_test.rb b/test/unit/mail_handler_test.rb
index 6bbb12d..e88fd15 100644
--- a/test/unit/mail_handler_test.rb
+++ b/test/unit/mail_handler_test.rb
@@ -467,6 +467,15 @@ class MailHandlerTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
     assert_equal ja, issue.subject
   end
 
+  def test_add_issue_with_no_subject_header
+    issue = submit_email(
+              'no_subject_header.eml',
+              :issue => {:project => 'ecookbook'}
+            )
+    assert_kind_of Issue, issue
+    assert_equal '(no subject)', issue.subject
+  end
+
   def test_add_issue_with_mixed_japanese_subject
     issue = submit_email(
               'subject_japanese_2.eml',