diff --git a/addons/product/product.py b/addons/product/product.py
index 96317ad1aca..38c57377ab4 100644
--- a/addons/product/product.py
+++ b/addons/product/product.py
@@ -364,12 +364,12 @@ class product_attribute_line(osv.osv):
         # search on a m2o and one on a m2m, probably this will quickly become
         # difficult to compute - check if performance optimization is required
         if name and operator in ('=', 'ilike', '=ilike', 'like', '=like'):
-            new_args = ['|', ('attribute_id', operator, name), ('value_ids', operator, name)]
-        else:
-            new_args = args
+            args = ['|', ('attribute_id', operator, name), ('value_ids', operator, name)]
+            ids = self.search(cr, uid, args, limit=limit, context=context)
+            return self.name_get(cr, uid, ids, context=context)
         return super(product_attribute_line, self).name_search(
             cr, uid, name=name,
-            args=new_args,
+            args=args,
             operator=operator, context=context, limit=limit)
 
 
diff --git a/addons/product/tests/__init__.py b/addons/product/tests/__init__.py
index 7c05b1bf791..962cae5c595 100644
--- a/addons/product/tests/__init__.py
+++ b/addons/product/tests/__init__.py
@@ -1 +1 @@
-from . import test_uom, test_pricelist
+from . import test_uom, test_pricelist, test_variants
diff --git a/addons/product/tests/test_variants.py b/addons/product/tests/test_variants.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..83d39197d7b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/addons/product/tests/test_variants.py
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+from openerp.tests.common import TransactionCase
+
+class TestVariants(TransactionCase):
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        res = super(TestVariants, self).setUp()
+        self.size_attr = self.env['product.attribute'].create({'name': 'Size'})
+        self.size_attr_value_s = self.env['product.attribute.value'].create({'name': 'S', 'attribute_id': self.size_attr.id})
+        self.size_attr_value_m = self.env['product.attribute.value'].create({'name': 'M', 'attribute_id': self.size_attr.id})
+        self.size_attr_value_l = self.env['product.attribute.value'].create({'name': 'L', 'attribute_id': self.size_attr.id})
+        self.product_shirt_template = self.env['product.template'].create({
+            'name': 'Shirt',
+            'attribute_line_ids': [(0, 0, {
+                'attribute_id': self.size_attr.id,
+                'value_ids': [(6, 0, [self.size_attr_value_l.id])],
+            })]
+        })
+        return res
+
+    def test_attribute_line_search(self):
+        search_not_to_be_found = self.env['product.template'].search(
+            [('attribute_line_ids', '=', 'M')]
+        )
+        self.assertNotIn(self.product_shirt_template, search_not_to_be_found,
+                         'Shirt should not be found searching M')
+
+        search_attribute = self.env['product.template'].search(
+            [('attribute_line_ids', '=', 'Size')]
+        )
+        self.assertIn(self.product_shirt_template, search_attribute,
+                      'Shirt should be found searching Size')
+
+        search_value = self.env['product.template'].search(
+            [('attribute_line_ids', '=', 'L')]
+        )
+        self.assertIn(self.product_shirt_template, search_value,
+                      'Shirt should be found searching L')