diff --git a/lib/fs.js b/lib/fs.js
index cde3a582727f80..5249af604e9eb9 100644
--- a/lib/fs.js
+++ b/lib/fs.js
@@ -1793,23 +1793,27 @@ function symlink(target, path, type, callback) {
       // Continue regardless of error.
     }
     if (absoluteTarget !== undefined) {
-      stat(absoluteTarget, (err, stat) => {
-        const resolvedType = !err && stat.isDirectory() ? 'dir' : 'file';
-        const resolvedFlags = stringToSymlinkType(resolvedType);
-        const destination = preprocessSymlinkDestination(target,
-                                                         resolvedType,
-                                                         path);
-
-        const req = new FSReqCallback();
-        req.oncomplete = callback;
-        binding.symlink(
-          destination,
-          path,
-          resolvedFlags,
-          req,
-        );
-      });
-      return;
+      try {
+        stat(absoluteTarget, (err, stat) => {
+          const resolvedType = !err && stat.isDirectory() ? 'dir' : 'file';
+          const resolvedFlags = stringToSymlinkType(resolvedType);
+          const destination = preprocessSymlinkDestination(target,
+                                                           resolvedType,
+                                                           path);
+
+          const req = new FSReqCallback();
+          req.oncomplete = callback;
+          binding.symlink(
+            destination,
+            path,
+            resolvedFlags,
+            req,
+          );
+        });
+        return;
+      } catch (statErr) {
+        // If stat fails, fall back to default symlink creation
+      }
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-fs-symlink-windows-error-handling.js b/test/parallel/test-fs-symlink-windows-error-handling.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..91522e4d92984e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parallel/test-fs-symlink-windows-error-handling.js
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+// Test for Windows symlink error handling when stat() fails
+'use strict';
+
+const common = require('../common');
+
+// This test is specifically for Windows symlink behavior
+if (!common.isWindows) {
+  common.skip('Windows-specific test');
+}
+
+if (!common.canCreateSymLink()) {
+  common.skip('insufficient privileges');
+}
+
+const assert = require('assert');
+const fs = require('fs');
+const path = require('path');
+const tmpdir = require('../common/tmpdir');
+
+tmpdir.refresh();
+
+// Test that symlink creation doesn't crash when stat() fails on absoluteTarget
+// This tests the try-catch error handling added around stat() call
+const target = './nonexistent-target';
+const linkPath = tmpdir.resolve('test-symlink');
+
+// Create a symlink with a relative target that would cause stat() to fail
+// when resolving the absolute target path
+fs.symlink(target, linkPath, common.mustSucceed(() => {
+  // Verify the symlink was created successfully despite stat() error
+  fs.lstat(linkPath, common.mustSucceed((stats) => {
+    assert(stats.isSymbolicLink());
+  }));
+  
+  fs.readlink(linkPath, common.mustSucceed((destination) => {
+    assert.strictEqual(destination, target);
+  }));
+}));
\ No newline at end of file