diff --git a/src/backend/optimizer/prep/prepjointree.c b/src/backend/optimizer/prep/prepjointree.c
index 639f0369dee..3e997765226 100644
--- a/src/backend/optimizer/prep/prepjointree.c
+++ b/src/backend/optimizer/prep/prepjointree.c
@@ -728,6 +728,18 @@ pull_up_simple_subquery(PlannerInfo *root, Node *jtnode, RangeTblEntry *rte,
 		return jtnode;
 	}
 
+	/*
+	 * We must flatten any join alias Vars in the subquery's targetlist,
+	 * because pulling up the subquery's subqueries might have changed their
+	 * expansions into arbitrary expressions, which could affect
+	 * pullup_replace_vars' decisions about whether PlaceHolderVar wrappers
+	 * are needed for tlist entries.  (Likely it'd be better to do
+	 * flatten_join_alias_vars on the whole query tree at some earlier stage,
+	 * maybe even in the rewriter; but for now let's just fix this case here.)
+	 */
+	subquery->targetList = (List *)
+		flatten_join_alias_vars(subroot, (Node *) subquery->targetList);
+
 	/*
 	 * Adjust level-0 varnos in subquery so that we can append its rangetable
 	 * to upper query's.  We have to fix the subquery's append_rel_list as
diff --git a/src/backend/optimizer/util/var.c b/src/backend/optimizer/util/var.c
index 5b41d6320f5..705bf243d92 100644
--- a/src/backend/optimizer/util/var.c
+++ b/src/backend/optimizer/util/var.c
@@ -750,16 +750,14 @@ flatten_join_alias_vars_mutator(Node *node,
 				/* Ignore dropped columns */
 				if (newvar == NULL)
 					continue;
+				newvar = copyObject(newvar);
 
 				/*
 				 * If we are expanding an alias carried down from an upper
 				 * query, must adjust its varlevelsup fields.
 				 */
 				if (context->sublevels_up != 0)
-				{
-					newvar = copyObject(newvar);
 					IncrementVarSublevelsUp(newvar, context->sublevels_up, 0);
-				}
 				/* Recurse in case join input is itself a join */
 				/* (also takes care of setting inserted_sublink if needed) */
 				newvar = flatten_join_alias_vars_mutator(newvar, context);
@@ -779,16 +777,14 @@ flatten_join_alias_vars_mutator(Node *node,
 		Assert(var->varattno > 0);
 		newvar = (Node *) list_nth(rte->joinaliasvars, var->varattno - 1);
 		Assert(newvar != NULL);
+		newvar = copyObject(newvar);
 
 		/*
 		 * If we are expanding an alias carried down from an upper query, must
 		 * adjust its varlevelsup fields.
 		 */
 		if (context->sublevels_up != 0)
-		{
-			newvar = copyObject(newvar);
 			IncrementVarSublevelsUp(newvar, context->sublevels_up, 0);
-		}
 
 		/* Recurse in case join input is itself a join */
 		newvar = flatten_join_alias_vars_mutator(newvar, context);
diff --git a/src/test/regress/expected/join.out b/src/test/regress/expected/join.out
index dabb1857e30..2b04945051d 100644
--- a/src/test/regress/expected/join.out
+++ b/src/test/regress/expected/join.out
@@ -2595,3 +2595,24 @@ select f1, unique2, case when unique2 is null then f1 else 0 end
   0 |       0 |    0
 (1 row)
 
+--
+-- check handling of join aliases when flattening multiple levels of subquery
+--
+select foo1.join_key as foo1_id, foo3.join_key AS foo3_id, bug_field from
+  (values (0),(1)) foo1(join_key)
+left join
+  (select join_key, bug_field from
+    (select ss1.join_key, ss1.bug_field from
+      (select f1 as join_key, 666 as bug_field from int4_tbl i1) ss1
+    ) foo2
+   left join
+    (select unique2 as join_key from tenk1 i2) ss2
+   using (join_key)
+  ) foo3
+using (join_key);
+ foo1_id | foo3_id | bug_field 
+---------+---------+-----------
+       0 |       0 |       666
+       1 |         |          
+(2 rows)
+
diff --git a/src/test/regress/sql/join.sql b/src/test/regress/sql/join.sql
index 1d7396dbaf7..41def9c7a0f 100644
--- a/src/test/regress/sql/join.sql
+++ b/src/test/regress/sql/join.sql
@@ -651,3 +651,20 @@ select q1, unique2, thousand, hundred
 select f1, unique2, case when unique2 is null then f1 else 0 end
   from int4_tbl a left join tenk1 b on f1 = unique2
   where (case when unique2 is null then f1 else 0 end) = 0;
+
+--
+-- check handling of join aliases when flattening multiple levels of subquery
+--
+
+select foo1.join_key as foo1_id, foo3.join_key AS foo3_id, bug_field from
+  (values (0),(1)) foo1(join_key)
+left join
+  (select join_key, bug_field from
+    (select ss1.join_key, ss1.bug_field from
+      (select f1 as join_key, 666 as bug_field from int4_tbl i1) ss1
+    ) foo2
+   left join
+    (select unique2 as join_key from tenk1 i2) ss2
+   using (join_key)
+  ) foo3
+using (join_key);