diff --git a/api/client/container/start.go b/api/client/container/start.go
index 1520b04621..9b291ad2c4 100644
--- a/api/client/container/start.go
+++ b/api/client/container/start.go
@@ -90,8 +90,8 @@ func runStart(dockerCli *client.DockerCli, opts *startOptions) error {
 		resp, errAttach := dockerCli.Client().ContainerAttach(ctx, c.ID, options)
 		if errAttach != nil && errAttach != httputil.ErrPersistEOF {
 			// ContainerAttach return an ErrPersistEOF (connection closed)
-			// means server met an error and put it in Hijacked connection
-			// keep the error and read detailed error message from hijacked connection
+			// means server met an error and already put it in Hijacked connection,
+			// we would keep the error and read the detailed error message from hijacked connection
 			return errAttach
 		}
 		defer resp.Close()
@@ -103,14 +103,22 @@ func runStart(dockerCli *client.DockerCli, opts *startOptions) error {
 			return errHijack
 		})
 
-		// 3. Start the container.
+		// 3. We should open a channel for receiving status code of the container
+		// no matter it's detached, removed on daemon side(--rm) or exit normally.
+		statusChan, statusErr := waitExitOrRemoved(dockerCli, context.Background(), c.ID, c.HostConfig.AutoRemove)
+
+		// 4. Start the container.
 		if err := dockerCli.Client().ContainerStart(ctx, c.ID, types.ContainerStartOptions{}); err != nil {
 			cancelFun()
 			<-cErr
+			if c.HostConfig.AutoRemove && statusErr == nil {
+				// wait container to be removed
+				<-statusChan
+			}
 			return err
 		}
 
-		// 4. Wait for attachment to break.
+		// 5. Wait for attachment to break.
 		if c.Config.Tty && dockerCli.IsTerminalOut() {
 			if err := dockerCli.MonitorTtySize(ctx, c.ID, false); err != nil {
 				fmt.Fprintf(dockerCli.Err(), "Error monitoring TTY size: %s\n", err)
@@ -119,11 +127,12 @@ func runStart(dockerCli *client.DockerCli, opts *startOptions) error {
 		if attchErr := <-cErr; attchErr != nil {
 			return attchErr
 		}
-		_, status, err := getExitCode(dockerCli, ctx, c.ID)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
+
+		if statusErr != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("can't get container's exit code: %v", statusErr)
 		}
-		if status != 0 {
+
+		if status := <-statusChan; status != 0 {
 			return cli.StatusError{StatusCode: status}
 		}
 	} else {
diff --git a/integration-cli/docker_cli_start_test.go b/integration-cli/docker_cli_start_test.go
index 1c6a3cf2ae..f96528f7d6 100644
--- a/integration-cli/docker_cli_start_test.go
+++ b/integration-cli/docker_cli_start_test.go
@@ -185,3 +185,15 @@ func (s *DockerSuite) TestStartAttachWithRename(c *check.C) {
 	_, stderr, _, _ := runCommandWithStdoutStderr(exec.Command(dockerBinary, "start", "-a", "before"))
 	c.Assert(stderr, checker.Not(checker.Contains), "No such container")
 }
+
+func (s *DockerSuite) TestStartReturnCorrectExitCode(c *check.C) {
+	dockerCmd(c, "create", "--restart=on-failure:2", "--name", "withRestart", "busybox", "sh", "-c", "exit 11")
+	dockerCmd(c, "create", "--rm", "--name", "withRm", "busybox", "sh", "-c", "exit 12")
+
+	_, exitCode, err := dockerCmdWithError("start", "-a", "withRestart")
+	c.Assert(err, checker.NotNil)
+	c.Assert(exitCode, checker.Equals, 11)
+	_, exitCode, err = dockerCmdWithError("start", "-a", "withRm")
+	c.Assert(err, checker.NotNil)
+	c.Assert(exitCode, checker.Equals, 12)
+}