diff --git a/lib/compress.js b/lib/compress.js
index 911cf55439..010dcf46a4 100644
--- a/lib/compress.js
+++ b/lib/compress.js
@@ -1792,7 +1792,12 @@ merge(Compressor.prototype, {
                             right: candidate.value
                         });
                     }
-                    candidate.write_only = false;
+                    var assign = candidate;
+                    while (assign.write_only) {
+                        assign.write_only = false;
+                        if (!(assign instanceof AST_Assign)) break;
+                        assign = assign.right;
+                    }
                     return candidate;
                 }
                 // These node types have child nodes that execute sequentially,
diff --git a/test/compress/default-values.js b/test/compress/default-values.js
index 2e85866e0e..1a21f513a7 100644
--- a/test/compress/default-values.js
+++ b/test/compress/default-values.js
@@ -1681,3 +1681,25 @@ issue_4817: {
     expect_stdout: "function"
     node_version: ">=6"
 }
+
+issue_4854: {
+    options = {
+        collapse_vars: true,
+        inline: true,
+        side_effects: true,
+        unused: true,
+    }
+    input: {
+        console.log(function(a) {
+            (function(b = a = "foo") {
+                [] = "foo";
+            })();
+            a;
+        }());
+    }
+    expect: {
+        console.log(void ([] = "foo"));
+    }
+    expect_stdout: "undefined"
+    node_version: ">=6"
+}