diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/ConfigManager.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/ConfigManager.php
index c7796c4..81d3861 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/ConfigManager.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/ConfigManager.php
@@ -416,8 +416,9 @@ protected function callOnDependencyRemoval(ConfigEntityInterface $entity, array
             return $this->loadConfigEntityByName($name);
           }
           else {
-            list($entity_type_id) = explode(':', $name);
-            return $this->entityManager->loadEntityByConfigTarget($entity_type_id, $name);
+            // Ignore the bundle.
+            list($entity_type_id,, $uuid) = explode(':', $name);
+            return $this->entityManager->loadEntityByConfigTarget($entity_type_id, $uuid);
           }
         }, $affected_dependencies[$type]);
       }
@@ -433,6 +434,14 @@ protected function callOnDependencyRemoval(ConfigEntityInterface $entity, array
       }
     }
 
+    // Key the entity arrays by config dependency name to make searching easy.
+    foreach (['config', 'content'] as $dependency_type) {
+      $affected_dependencies[$dependency_type] = array_combine(
+        array_map(function ($entity) { return $entity->getConfigDependencyName();}, $affected_dependencies[$dependency_type]),
+        $affected_dependencies[$dependency_type]
+      );
+    }
+
     // Inform the entity.
     return $entity->onDependencyRemoval($affected_dependencies);
   }
diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Field/Plugin/Field/FieldType/EntityReferenceItem.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Field/Plugin/Field/FieldType/EntityReferenceItem.php
index 10497ad..5844cf9 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Field/Plugin/Field/FieldType/EntityReferenceItem.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Field/Plugin/Field/FieldType/EntityReferenceItem.php
@@ -291,15 +291,14 @@ public static function calculateDependencies(FieldDefinitionInterface $field_def
    */
   public static function onDependencyRemoval(FieldDefinitionInterface $field_definition, array $dependencies) {
     $changed = FALSE;
-    if (is_array($field_definition->default_value) && count($field_definition->default_value)) {
+    if (!empty($field_definition->default_value)) {
       $target_entity_type = \Drupal::entityManager()->getDefinition($field_definition->getFieldStorageDefinition()->getSetting('target_type'));
-      foreach ($field_definition->default_value as $default_value) {
+      foreach ($field_definition->default_value as $key => $default_value) {
         if (is_array($default_value) && isset($default_value['target_uuid'])) {
           $entity = \Drupal::entityManager()->loadEntityByUuid($target_entity_type->id(), $default_value['target_uuid']);
-          // If the entity does not exist do not create the dependency.
           // @see \Drupal\Core\Field\EntityReferenceFieldItemList::processDefaultValue()
-          if ($entity && in_array($entity, $dependencies[$target_entity_type->getConfigDependencyKey()])) {
-            $field_definition->default_value = [];
+          if ($entity && isset($dependencies[$entity->getConfigDependencyKey()][$entity->getConfigDependencyName()])) {
+            unset($field_definition->default_value[$key]);
             $changed = TRUE;
           }
         }
diff --git a/core/modules/entity_reference/src/Tests/EntityReferenceFieldDefaultValueTest.php b/core/modules/entity_reference/src/Tests/EntityReferenceFieldDefaultValueTest.php
index 38bc069..e002ac2 100644
--- a/core/modules/entity_reference/src/Tests/EntityReferenceFieldDefaultValueTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/entity_reference/src/Tests/EntityReferenceFieldDefaultValueTest.php
@@ -105,4 +105,50 @@ function testEntityReferenceDefaultValue() {
     $this->assertConfigSchema(\Drupal::service('config.typed'), $field_storage_config->getName(), $field_storage_config->get());
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Tests that dependencies due to default values can be removed.
+   *
+   * @see \Drupal\Core\Field\Plugin\Field\FieldType\EntityReferenceItem::onDependencyRemoval()
+   */
+  function testEntityReferenceDefaultConfigValue() {
+    // Create a node to be referenced.
+    $referenced_node_type = $this->drupalCreateContentType(array('type' => 'referenced_config'));
+
+    $field_name = Unicode::strtolower($this->randomMachineName());
+    $field_storage = entity_create('field_storage_config', array(
+      'field_name' => $field_name,
+      'entity_type' => 'node',
+      'type' => 'entity_reference',
+      'settings' => array('target_type' => 'node_type'),
+    ));
+    $field_storage->save();
+    $field = entity_create('field_config', array(
+      'field_storage' => $field_storage,
+      'bundle' => 'reference_content',
+      'settings' => array(
+        'handler' => 'default',
+        'handler_settings' => array(
+          'sort' => array('field' => '_none'),
+        ),
+      ),
+    ));
+    $field->save();
+
+    // Set created node as default_value.
+    $field_edit = array(
+      'default_value_input[' . $field_name . '][0][target_id]' => $referenced_node_type->label() . ' (' .$referenced_node_type->id() . ')',
+    );
+    $this->drupalPostForm('admin/structure/types/manage/reference_content/fields/node.reference_content.' . $field_name, $field_edit, t('Save settings'));
+
+    // Check that the field has a dependency on the default value.
+    $config_entity = $this->config('field.field.node.reference_content.' . $field_name)->get();
+    $this->assertTrue(in_array($referenced_node_type->getConfigDependencyName(), $config_entity['dependencies']['config'], TRUE), 'The node type is a dependency of the field.');
+
+    // Check that the field does not have a dependency on the default value
+    // after deleting the node type.
+    $referenced_node_type->delete();
+    \Drupal::configFactory()->reset('field.field.node.reference_content.' . $field_name);
+    $this->assertTrue(in_array($referenced_node_type->getConfigDependencyName(), $config_entity['dependencies']['config'], TRUE), 'The node type is a dependency of the field.');
+  }
+
 }