diff --git a/builtin/providers/aws/resource_aws_route53_record.go b/builtin/providers/aws/resource_aws_route53_record.go
index fcd781c61..abfa04942 100644
--- a/builtin/providers/aws/resource_aws_route53_record.go
+++ b/builtin/providers/aws/resource_aws_route53_record.go
@@ -173,7 +173,8 @@ func resourceAwsRoute53RecordRead(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface{}) erro
 	// Scan for a matching record
 	found := false
 	for _, record := range resp.ResourceRecordSets {
-		if FQDN(*record.Name) != FQDN(*lopts.StartRecordName) {
+		name := cleanRecordName(*record.Name)
+		if FQDN(name) != FQDN(*lopts.StartRecordName) {
 			continue
 		}
 		if strings.ToUpper(*record.Type) != strings.ToUpper(*lopts.StartRecordType) {
@@ -232,15 +233,17 @@ func resourceAwsRoute53RecordDelete(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface{}) er
 		Refresh: func() (interface{}, string, error) {
 			_, err := conn.ChangeResourceRecordSets(req)
 			if err != nil {
-				if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "PriorRequestNotComplete") {
-					// There is some pending operation, so just retry
-					// in a bit.
-					return 42, "rejected", nil
-				}
+				if r53err, ok := err.(aws.APIError); ok {
+					if r53err.Code == "PriorRequestNotComplete" {
+						// There is some pending operation, so just retry
+						// in a bit.
+						return 42, "rejected", nil
+					}
 
-				if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "InvalidChangeBatch") {
-					// This means that the record is already gone.
-					return 42, "accepted", nil
+					if r53err.Code == "InvalidChangeBatch" {
+						// This means that the record is already gone.
+						return 42, "accepted", nil
+					}
 				}
 
 				return 42, "failure", err
@@ -282,3 +285,15 @@ func FQDN(name string) string {
 		return name + "."
 	}
 }
+
+// Route 53 stores the "*" wildcard indicator as ASCII 42 and returns the
+// octal equivalent, "\\052". Here we look for that, and convert back to "*"
+// as needed.
+func cleanRecordName(name string) string {
+	str := name
+	if strings.HasPrefix(name, "\\052") {
+		str = strings.Replace(name, "\\052", "*", 1)
+		log.Printf("[DEBUG] Replacing octal \\052 for * in: %s", name)
+	}
+	return str
+}
diff --git a/builtin/providers/aws/resource_aws_route53_record_test.go b/builtin/providers/aws/resource_aws_route53_record_test.go
index 08325c783..0608c51d1 100644
--- a/builtin/providers/aws/resource_aws_route53_record_test.go
+++ b/builtin/providers/aws/resource_aws_route53_record_test.go
@@ -9,9 +9,26 @@ import (
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/terraform"
 
 	"github.com/hashicorp/aws-sdk-go/aws"
-	awsr53 "github.com/hashicorp/aws-sdk-go/gen/route53"
+	route53 "github.com/hashicorp/aws-sdk-go/gen/route53"
 )
 
+func TestCleanRecordName(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		Input, Output string
+	}{
+		{"www.nonexample.com", "www.nonexample.com"},
+		{"\\052.nonexample.com", "*.nonexample.com"},
+		{"nonexample.com", "nonexample.com"},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range cases {
+		actual := cleanRecordName(tc.Input)
+		if actual != tc.Output {
+			t.Fatalf("input: %s\noutput: %s", tc.Input, actual)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestAccRoute53Record(t *testing.T) {
 	resource.Test(t, resource.TestCase{
 		PreCheck:     func() { testAccPreCheck(t) },
@@ -44,6 +61,30 @@ func TestAccRoute53Record_generatesSuffix(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 }
 
+func TestAccRoute53Record_wildcard(t *testing.T) {
+	resource.Test(t, resource.TestCase{
+		PreCheck:     func() { testAccPreCheck(t) },
+		Providers:    testAccProviders,
+		CheckDestroy: testAccCheckRoute53RecordDestroy,
+		Steps: []resource.TestStep{
+			resource.TestStep{
+				Config: testAccRoute53WildCardRecordConfig,
+				Check: resource.ComposeTestCheckFunc(
+					testAccCheckRoute53RecordExists("aws_route53_record.wildcard"),
+				),
+			},
+
+			// Cause a change, which will trigger a refresh
+			resource.TestStep{
+				Config: testAccRoute53WildCardRecordConfigUpdate,
+				Check: resource.ComposeTestCheckFunc(
+					testAccCheckRoute53RecordExists("aws_route53_record.wildcard"),
+				),
+			},
+		},
+	})
+}
+
 func testAccCheckRoute53RecordDestroy(s *terraform.State) error {
 	conn := testAccProvider.Meta().(*AWSClient).r53conn
 	for _, rs := range s.RootModule().Resources {
@@ -56,7 +97,7 @@ func testAccCheckRoute53RecordDestroy(s *terraform.State) error {
 		name := parts[1]
 		rType := parts[2]
 
-		lopts := &awsr53.ListResourceRecordSetsRequest{
+		lopts := &route53.ListResourceRecordSetsRequest{
 			HostedZoneID:    aws.String(cleanZoneID(zone)),
 			StartRecordName: aws.String(name),
 			StartRecordType: aws.String(rType),
@@ -94,7 +135,7 @@ func testAccCheckRoute53RecordExists(n string) resource.TestCheckFunc {
 		name := parts[1]
 		rType := parts[2]
 
-		lopts := &awsr53.ListResourceRecordSetsRequest{
+		lopts := &route53.ListResourceRecordSetsRequest{
 			HostedZoneID:    aws.String(cleanZoneID(zone)),
 			StartRecordName: aws.String(name),
 			StartRecordType: aws.String(rType),
@@ -107,11 +148,14 @@ func testAccCheckRoute53RecordExists(n string) resource.TestCheckFunc {
 		if len(resp.ResourceRecordSets) == 0 {
 			return fmt.Errorf("Record does not exist")
 		}
-		rec := resp.ResourceRecordSets[0]
-		if FQDN(*rec.Name) == FQDN(name) && *rec.Type == rType {
-			return nil
+		// rec := resp.ResourceRecordSets[0]
+		for _, rec := range resp.ResourceRecordSets {
+			recName := cleanRecordName(*rec.Name)
+			if FQDN(recName) == FQDN(name) && *rec.Type == rType {
+				return nil
+			}
 		}
-		return fmt.Errorf("Record does not exist: %#v", rec)
+		return fmt.Errorf("Record does not exist: %#v", rs.Primary.ID)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -142,3 +186,47 @@ resource "aws_route53_record" "default" {
 	records = ["127.0.0.1", "127.0.0.27"]
 }
 `
+
+const testAccRoute53WildCardRecordConfig = `
+resource "aws_route53_zone" "main" {
+    name = "notexample.com"
+}
+
+resource "aws_route53_record" "default" {
+	zone_id = "${aws_route53_zone.main.zone_id}"
+	name = "subdomain"
+	type = "A"
+	ttl = "30"
+	records = ["127.0.0.1", "127.0.0.27"]
+}
+
+resource "aws_route53_record" "wildcard" {
+    zone_id = "${aws_route53_zone.main.zone_id}"
+    name = "*.notexample.com"
+    type = "A"
+    ttl = "30"
+    records = ["127.0.0.1"]
+}
+`
+
+const testAccRoute53WildCardRecordConfigUpdate = `
+resource "aws_route53_zone" "main" {
+    name = "notexample.com"
+}
+
+resource "aws_route53_record" "default" {
+	zone_id = "${aws_route53_zone.main.zone_id}"
+	name = "subdomain"
+	type = "A"
+	ttl = "30"
+	records = ["127.0.0.1", "127.0.0.27"]
+}
+
+resource "aws_route53_record" "wildcard" {
+    zone_id = "${aws_route53_zone.main.zone_id}"
+    name = "*.notexample.com"
+    type = "A"
+    ttl = "60"
+    records = ["127.0.0.1"]
+}
+`