diff --git a/consensus/replay_test.go b/consensus/replay_test.go
index 724dd056b..4a272fa30 100644
--- a/consensus/replay_test.go
+++ b/consensus/replay_test.go
@@ -228,15 +228,15 @@ func (e ReachedHeightToStopError) Error() string {
 
 // Write simulate WAL's crashing by sending an error to the panicCh and then
 // exiting the cs.receiveRoutine.
-func (w *crashingWAL) Write(m WALMessage) {
+func (w *crashingWAL) Write(m WALMessage) error {
 	if endMsg, ok := m.(EndHeightMessage); ok {
 		if endMsg.Height == w.heightToStop {
 			w.panicCh <- ReachedHeightToStopError{endMsg.Height}
 			runtime.Goexit()
-		} else {
-			w.next.Write(m)
+			return nil
 		}
-		return
+
+		return w.next.Write(m)
 	}
 
 	if w.msgIndex > w.lastPanickedForMsgIndex {
@@ -244,14 +244,15 @@ func (w *crashingWAL) Write(m WALMessage) {
 		_, file, line, _ := runtime.Caller(1)
 		w.panicCh <- WALWriteError{fmt.Sprintf("failed to write %T to WAL (fileline: %s:%d)", m, file, line)}
 		runtime.Goexit()
-	} else {
-		w.msgIndex++
-		w.next.Write(m)
+		return nil
 	}
+
+	w.msgIndex++
+	return w.next.Write(m)
 }
 
-func (w *crashingWAL) WriteSync(m WALMessage) {
-	w.Write(m)
+func (w *crashingWAL) WriteSync(m WALMessage) error {
+	return w.Write(m)
 }
 
 func (w *crashingWAL) FlushAndSync() error { return w.next.FlushAndSync() }
diff --git a/consensus/state.go b/consensus/state.go
index 1f6bad9ab..78c04d999 100644
--- a/consensus/state.go
+++ b/consensus/state.go
@@ -632,7 +632,10 @@ func (cs *ConsensusState) receiveRoutine(maxSteps int) {
 			// may generate internal events (votes, complete proposals, 2/3 majorities)
 			cs.handleMsg(mi)
 		case mi = <-cs.internalMsgQueue:
-			cs.wal.WriteSync(mi) // NOTE: fsync
+			err := cs.wal.WriteSync(mi) // NOTE: fsync
+			if err != nil {
+				panic(fmt.Sprintf("Failed to write %v msg to consensus wal due to %v. Check your FS and restart the node", mi, err))
+			}
 
 			if _, ok := mi.Msg.(*VoteMessage); ok {
 				// we actually want to simulate failing during
@@ -1313,7 +1316,10 @@ func (cs *ConsensusState) finalizeCommit(height int64) {
 	// Either way, the ConsensusState should not be resumed until we
 	// successfully call ApplyBlock (ie. later here, or in Handshake after
 	// restart).
-	cs.wal.WriteSync(EndHeightMessage{height}) // NOTE: fsync
+	me := EndHeightMessage{height}
+	if err := cs.wal.WriteSync(me); err != nil { // NOTE: fsync
+		panic(fmt.Sprintf("Failed to write %v msg to consensus wal due to %v. Check your FS and restart the node", me, err))
+	}
 
 	fail.Fail() // XXX
 
diff --git a/consensus/wal.go b/consensus/wal.go
index c63c6b940..373f01a16 100644
--- a/consensus/wal.go
+++ b/consensus/wal.go
@@ -29,8 +29,9 @@ const (
 //--------------------------------------------------------
 // types and functions for savings consensus messages
 
+// TimedWALMessage wraps WALMessage and adds Time for debugging purposes.
 type TimedWALMessage struct {
-	Time time.Time  `json:"time"` // for debugging purposes
+	Time time.Time  `json:"time"`
 	Msg  WALMessage `json:"msg"`
 }
 
@@ -55,8 +56,8 @@ func RegisterWALMessages(cdc *amino.Codec) {
 
 // WAL is an interface for any write-ahead logger.
 type WAL interface {
-	Write(WALMessage)
-	WriteSync(WALMessage)
+	Write(WALMessage) error
+	WriteSync(WALMessage) error
 	FlushAndSync() error
 
 	SearchForEndHeight(height int64, options *WALSearchOptions) (rd io.ReadCloser, found bool, err error)
@@ -174,29 +175,39 @@ func (wal *baseWAL) Wait() {
 // Write is called in newStep and for each receive on the
 // peerMsgQueue and the timeoutTicker.
 // NOTE: does not call fsync()
-func (wal *baseWAL) Write(msg WALMessage) {
+func (wal *baseWAL) Write(msg WALMessage) error {
 	if wal == nil {
-		return
+		return nil
 	}
 
-	// Write the wal message
 	if err := wal.enc.Encode(&TimedWALMessage{tmtime.Now(), msg}); err != nil {
-		panic(fmt.Sprintf("Error writing msg to consensus wal: %v \n\nMessage: %v", err, msg))
+		wal.Logger.Error("Error writing msg to consensus wal. WARNING: recover may not be possible for the current height",
+			"err", err, "msg", msg)
+		return err
 	}
+
+	return nil
 }
 
 // WriteSync is called when we receive a msg from ourselves
 // so that we write to disk before sending signed messages.
 // NOTE: calls fsync()
-func (wal *baseWAL) WriteSync(msg WALMessage) {
+func (wal *baseWAL) WriteSync(msg WALMessage) error {
 	if wal == nil {
-		return
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	if err := wal.Write(msg); err != nil {
+		return err
 	}
 
-	wal.Write(msg)
 	if err := wal.FlushAndSync(); err != nil {
-		panic(fmt.Sprintf("Error flushing consensus wal buf to file. Error: %v \n", err))
+		wal.Logger.Error("WriteSync failed to flush consensus wal. WARNING: may result in creating alternative proposals / votes for the current height iff the node restarted",
+			"err", err)
+		return err
 	}
+
+	return nil
 }
 
 // WALSearchOptions are optional arguments to SearchForEndHeight.
@@ -285,7 +296,7 @@ func (enc *WALEncoder) Encode(v *TimedWALMessage) error {
 	crc := crc32.Checksum(data, crc32c)
 	length := uint32(len(data))
 	if length > maxMsgSizeBytes {
-		return fmt.Errorf("Msg is too big: %d bytes, max: %d bytes", length, maxMsgSizeBytes)
+		return fmt.Errorf("msg is too big: %d bytes, max: %d bytes", length, maxMsgSizeBytes)
 	}
 	totalLength := 8 + int(length)
 
@@ -295,7 +306,6 @@ func (enc *WALEncoder) Encode(v *TimedWALMessage) error {
 	copy(msg[8:], data)
 
 	_, err := enc.wr.Write(msg)
-
 	return err
 }
 
@@ -383,9 +393,9 @@ type nilWAL struct{}
 
 var _ WAL = nilWAL{}
 
-func (nilWAL) Write(m WALMessage)     {}
-func (nilWAL) WriteSync(m WALMessage) {}
-func (nilWAL) FlushAndSync() error    { return nil }
+func (nilWAL) Write(m WALMessage) error     { return nil }
+func (nilWAL) WriteSync(m WALMessage) error { return nil }
+func (nilWAL) FlushAndSync() error          { return nil }
 func (nilWAL) SearchForEndHeight(height int64, options *WALSearchOptions) (rd io.ReadCloser, found bool, err error) {
 	return nil, false, nil
 }
diff --git a/consensus/wal_generator.go b/consensus/wal_generator.go
index 2faff27b5..2ad59bd07 100644
--- a/consensus/wal_generator.go
+++ b/consensus/wal_generator.go
@@ -167,10 +167,10 @@ func newByteBufferWAL(logger log.Logger, enc *WALEncoder, nBlocks int64, signalS
 // Save writes message to the internal buffer except when heightToStop is
 // reached, in which case it will signal the caller via signalWhenStopsTo and
 // skip writing.
-func (w *byteBufferWAL) Write(m WALMessage) {
+func (w *byteBufferWAL) Write(m WALMessage) error {
 	if w.stopped {
 		w.logger.Debug("WAL already stopped. Not writing message", "msg", m)
-		return
+		return nil
 	}
 
 	if endMsg, ok := m.(EndHeightMessage); ok {
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ func (w *byteBufferWAL) Write(m WALMessage) {
 			w.logger.Debug("Stopping WAL at height", "height", endMsg.Height)
 			w.signalWhenStopsTo <- struct{}{}
 			w.stopped = true
-			return
+			return nil
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -188,10 +188,12 @@ func (w *byteBufferWAL) Write(m WALMessage) {
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(fmt.Sprintf("failed to encode the msg %v", m))
 	}
+
+	return nil
 }
 
-func (w *byteBufferWAL) WriteSync(m WALMessage) {
-	w.Write(m)
+func (w *byteBufferWAL) WriteSync(m WALMessage) error {
+	return w.Write(m)
 }
 
 func (w *byteBufferWAL) FlushAndSync() error { return nil }
diff --git a/consensus/wal_test.go b/consensus/wal_test.go
index 5cb73fb7f..442cdb6fc 100644
--- a/consensus/wal_test.go
+++ b/consensus/wal_test.go
@@ -11,14 +11,15 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/consensus/types"
+	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/crypto/merkle"
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/libs/autofile"
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/libs/log"
 	tmtypes "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/types"
 	tmtime "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/types/time"
-
-	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
-	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
 const (
@@ -101,7 +102,7 @@ func TestWALEncoderDecoder(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestWALWritePanicsIfMsgIsTooBig(t *testing.T) {
+func TestWALWrite(t *testing.T) {
 	walDir, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "wal")
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	defer os.RemoveAll(walDir)
@@ -118,7 +119,24 @@ func TestWALWritePanicsIfMsgIsTooBig(t *testing.T) {
 		wal.Wait()
 	}()
 
-	assert.Panics(t, func() { wal.Write(make([]byte, maxMsgSizeBytes+1)) })
+	// 1) Write returns an error if msg is too big
+	msg := &BlockPartMessage{
+		Height: 1,
+		Round:  1,
+		Part: &tmtypes.Part{
+			Index: 1,
+			Bytes: make([]byte, 1),
+			Proof: merkle.SimpleProof{
+				Total:    1,
+				Index:    1,
+				LeafHash: make([]byte, maxMsgSizeBytes-30),
+			},
+		},
+	}
+	err = wal.Write(msg)
+	if assert.Error(t, err) {
+		assert.Equal(t, "msg is too big: 1048593 bytes, max: 1048576 bytes", err.Error())
+	}
 }
 
 func TestWALSearchForEndHeight(t *testing.T) {