diff --git a/core/modules/system/src/Tests/Update/UpdatePathTestBase.php b/core/modules/system/src/Tests/Update/UpdatePathTestBase.php
index d3fe409..78741d4 100644
--- a/core/modules/system/src/Tests/Update/UpdatePathTestBase.php
+++ b/core/modules/system/src/Tests/Update/UpdatePathTestBase.php
@@ -182,8 +182,9 @@ protected function setUp() {
     // Restore the original Simpletest batch.
     $this->restoreBatch();
 
-    // Rebuild and reset.
-    $this->rebuildAll();
+    // Set the container. parent::rebuildAll() would normally do this, but is
+    // not safe to do here because the database has not been updated yet.
+    $this->container = \Drupal::getContainer();
 
     // Replace User 1 with the user created here.
     // @todo: do this without saving the user account.