diff --git a/packages/compiler-cli/linker/babel/src/es2015_linker_plugin.ts b/packages/compiler-cli/linker/babel/src/es2015_linker_plugin.ts
index b13be8e407..0ebe7b5db5 100644
--- a/packages/compiler-cli/linker/babel/src/es2015_linker_plugin.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler-cli/linker/babel/src/es2015_linker_plugin.ts
@@ -58,9 +58,14 @@ export function createEs2015LinkerPlugin(options: Partial<LinkerOptions> = {}):
        * with the results of linking the declaration.
        */
       CallExpression(call: NodePath<t.CallExpression>): void {
-        try {
-          assertNotNull(fileLinker);
+        if (fileLinker === null) {
+          // Any statements that are inserted upon program exit will be visited outside of an active
+          // linker context. These call expressions are known not to contain partial declarations,
+          // so it's safe to skip visiting those call expressions.
+          return;
+        }
 
+        try {
           const callee = call.node.callee;
           if (!t.isExpression(callee)) {
             return;
diff --git a/packages/compiler-cli/linker/babel/test/es2015_linker_plugin_spec.ts b/packages/compiler-cli/linker/babel/test/es2015_linker_plugin_spec.ts
index 556010a192..da4b2bc8b8 100644
--- a/packages/compiler-cli/linker/babel/test/es2015_linker_plugin_spec.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler-cli/linker/babel/test/es2015_linker_plugin_spec.ts
@@ -213,6 +213,41 @@ describe('createEs2015LinkerPlugin()', () => {
          `(function(){const x1=[1];return function BAR(){};})();BAR;`,
        ].join(''));
      });
+
+  it('should not process call expressions within inserted functions', () => {
+    spyOn(PartialDirectiveLinkerVersion1.prototype, 'linkPartialDeclaration')
+        .and.callFake(((sourceUrl, code, constantPool) => {
+                        // Insert a call expression into the constant pool. This is inserted into
+                        // Babel's AST upon program exit, and will therefore be visited by Babel
+                        // outside of an active linker context.
+                        constantPool.statements.push(
+                            o.fn(/* params */[], /* body */[], /* type */ undefined,
+                                 /* sourceSpan */ undefined, /* name */ 'inserted')
+                                .callFn([])
+                                .toStmt());
+
+                        return o.literal('REPLACEMENT');
+                      }) as typeof PartialDirectiveLinkerVersion1.prototype.linkPartialDeclaration);
+
+    const isPartialDeclarationSpy =
+        spyOn(FileLinker.prototype, 'isPartialDeclaration').and.callThrough();
+
+    const result = transformSync(
+        [
+          'import * as core from \'some-module\';',
+          `ɵɵngDeclareDirective({version: 1, ngImport: core})`,
+        ].join('\n'),
+        {
+          plugins: [createEs2015LinkerPlugin()],
+          filename: '/test.js',
+          parserOpts: {sourceType: 'unambiguous'},
+          generatorOpts: {compact: true},
+        });
+    expect(result!.code)
+        .toEqual('import*as core from\'some-module\';(function inserted(){})();"REPLACEMENT";');
+
+    expect(isPartialDeclarationSpy.calls.allArgs()).toEqual([['ɵɵngDeclareDirective']]);
+  });
 });
 
 /**