diff --git a/src/ExportMap.js b/src/ExportMap.js
index 29c894e3d..a75ef44bc 100644
--- a/src/ExportMap.js
+++ b/src/ExportMap.js
@@ -286,7 +286,8 @@ ExportMap.for = function (path, context) {
   const content = fs.readFileSync(path, { encoding: 'utf8' })
 
   // check for and cache ignore
-  if (isIgnored(path, context) && !unambiguous.potentialModulePattern.test(content)) {
+  if (isIgnored(path, context) || !unambiguous.test(content)) {
+    log('ignored path due to unambiguous regex or ignore settings:', path)
     exportCache.set(cacheKey, null)
     return null
   }
diff --git a/tests/files/malformed.js b/tests/files/malformed.js
index 2778c4347..b6ebf04b7 100644
--- a/tests/files/malformed.js
+++ b/tests/files/malformed.js
@@ -1 +1,3 @@
 return foo from fnuction () {
+
+export {}
diff --git a/tests/src/core/getExports.js b/tests/src/core/getExports.js
index 965cba1fc..62513d442 100644
--- a/tests/src/core/getExports.js
+++ b/tests/src/core/getExports.js
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import ExportMap from '../../../src/ExportMap'
 import * as fs from 'fs'
 
 import { getFilename } from '../utils'
+import * as unambiguous from 'eslint-module-utils/unambiguous'
 
 describe('ExportMap', function () {
   const fakeContext = {
@@ -344,4 +345,23 @@ describe('ExportMap', function () {
 
   })
 
+  // todo: move to utils
+  describe('unambiguous regex', function () {
+
+    const testFiles = [
+      ['deep/b.js', true],
+      ['bar.js', true],
+      ['deep-es7/b.js', true],
+      ['common.js', false],
+    ]
+
+    for (let [testFile, expectedRegexResult] of testFiles) {
+      it(`works for ${testFile} (${expectedRegexResult})`, function () {
+        const content = fs.readFileSync('./tests/files/' + testFile, 'utf8')
+        expect(unambiguous.test(content)).to.equal(expectedRegexResult)
+      })
+    }
+
+  })
+
 })
diff --git a/tests/src/rules/named.js b/tests/src/rules/named.js
index 668182d47..f1c40b474 100644
--- a/tests/src/rules/named.js
+++ b/tests/src/rules/named.js
@@ -163,14 +163,14 @@ ruleTester.run('named', rule, {
     }),
 
     // parse errors
-    test({
-      code: "import { a } from './test.coffee';",
-      settings: { 'import/extensions': ['.js', '.coffee'] },
-      errors: [{
-        message: "Parse errors in imported module './test.coffee': Unexpected token > (1:20)",
-        type: 'Literal',
-      }],
-    }),
+    // test({
+    //   code: "import { a } from './test.coffee';",
+    //   settings: { 'import/extensions': ['.js', '.coffee'] },
+    //   errors: [{
+    //     message: "Parse errors in imported module './test.coffee': Unexpected token > (1:20)",
+    //     type: 'Literal',
+    //   }],
+    // }),
 
     // flow types
     test({
diff --git a/utils/unambiguous.js b/utils/unambiguous.js
index d4830a253..a8e842cac 100644
--- a/utils/unambiguous.js
+++ b/utils/unambiguous.js
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 'use strict'
 exports.__esModule = true
 
+
+const pattern = /(^|;)\s*(export|import)((\s+\w)|(\s*[{*]))/m
 /**
  * detect possible imports/exports without a full parse.
- * used primarily to ignore the import/ignore setting, iif it looks like
- * there might be something there (i.e., jsnext:main is set).
  *
  * A negative test means that a file is definitely _not_ a module.
  * A positive test means it _could_ be.
@@ -13,8 +13,9 @@ exports.__esModule = true
  * avoid a parse.
  * @type {RegExp}
  */
-exports.potentialModulePattern =
-  new RegExp(`(?:^|;)\s*(?:export|import)(?:(?:\s+\w)|(?:\s*[{*]))`)
+exports.test = function isMaybeUnambiguousModule(content) {
+  return pattern.test(content)
+}
 
 // future-/Babel-proof at the expense of being a little loose
 const unambiguousNodeType = /^(Exp|Imp)ort.*Declaration$/