diff -u b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Cache/DatabaseBackend.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Cache/DatabaseBackend.php
--- b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Cache/DatabaseBackend.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Cache/DatabaseBackend.php
@@ -275,11 +275,16 @@
    */
   public function deleteMultiple(array $cids) {
     $cids = array_values(array_map(array($this, 'normalizeCid'), $cids));
-    // Delete in chunks when a large array is passed.
-    foreach (array_chunk($cids, 1000) as $cids_chunk) {
-      $this->connection->delete($this->bin)
-        ->condition('cid', $cids_chunk, 'IN')
-        ->executeEnsuringTable($this);
+    try {
+      // Delete in chunks when a large array is passed.
+      foreach (array_chunk($cids, 1000) as $cids_chunk) {
+        $this->connection->delete($this->bin)
+          ->condition('cid', $cids_chunk, 'IN')
+          ->execute();
+      }
+    }
+    catch (\Exception $e) {
+      $this->catchException($e);
     }
   }
 
@@ -308,7 +313,12 @@
    * Implements Drupal\Core\Cache\CacheBackendInterface::deleteAll().
    */
   public function deleteAll() {
-    $this->connection->truncate($this->bin)->executeEnsuringTable($this);
+    try {
+      $this->connection->truncate($this->bin)->execute();
+    }
+    catch (\Exception $e) {
+      $this->catchException($e);
+    }
   }
 
   /**
@@ -442,2 +452,20 @@
 
+  /**
+   * Act on an exception when cache might be stale.
+   *
+   * If the {cachetags} table does not yet exist, that's fine but if the table
+   * exists and yet the query failed, then the cache is stale and the
+   * exception needs to propagate.
+   *
+   * @param $e
+   *   The exception.
+   * @param string|null $table_name
+   *   The table name, defaults to $this->bin. Can be cachetags.
+   */
+  protected function catchException(\Exception $e, $table_name = NULL) {
+    if ($this->connection->schema()->tableExists($table_name ?: $this->bin)) {
+      throw $e;
+    }
+  }
+
   /**
diff -u b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Database/Schema.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Database/Schema.php
--- b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Database/Schema.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Database/Schema.php
@@ -691,7 +691,8 @@
    *   An object providing the schema
    *
    * @return bool
-   *   TRUE if the table exists, FALSE if it does not.
+   *   TRUE if the table already existed or now exists, FALSE if there was an
+   *   error and it does not.
    */
   public function ensureTableExists($table_name, SchemaProviderInterface $schema_provider) {
     try {
diff -u b/core/modules/system/src/Tests/Database/SelectTest.php b/core/modules/system/src/Tests/Database/SelectTest.php
--- b/core/modules/system/src/Tests/Database/SelectTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/system/src/Tests/Database/SelectTest.php
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
     // The table should be recreated, add back the sample data and re-run the
     // test.
     try {
-      self::addSampleData();
+      static::addSampleData();
     }
     catch (\Exception $e) {
       // Ignore adding rows to tables already filled.