diff --git a/lib/fs.js b/lib/fs.js
index 39f35371393f4a..118d7fe800cbfa 100644
--- a/lib/fs.js
+++ b/lib/fs.js
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@ const kIoMaxLength = 2 ** 31 - 1;
 const {
   ArrayPrototypePush,
   BigIntPrototypeToString,
-  MathMax,
   Number,
   NumberIsSafeInteger,
   ObjectCreate,
@@ -845,7 +844,11 @@ function ftruncate(fd, len = 0, callback) {
   }
   validateInt32(fd, 'fd', 0);
   validateInteger(len, 'len');
-  len = MathMax(0, len);
+
+  if (len < 0) {
+    throw new ERR_INVALID_ARG_VALUE('len', len);
+  }
+
   callback = makeCallback(callback);
 
   const req = new FSReqCallback();
@@ -856,7 +859,11 @@ function ftruncate(fd, len = 0, callback) {
 function ftruncateSync(fd, len = 0) {
   validateInt32(fd, 'fd', 0);
   validateInteger(len, 'len');
-  len = MathMax(0, len);
+
+  if (len < 0) {
+    throw new ERR_INVALID_ARG_VALUE('len', len);
+  }
+
   const ctx = {};
   binding.ftruncate(fd, len, undefined, ctx);
   handleErrorFromBinding(ctx);
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-fs-truncate.js b/test/parallel/test-fs-truncate.js
index 418d56c047d4e3..e5965a5b7a7b1f 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-fs-truncate.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-fs-truncate.js
@@ -224,13 +224,14 @@ function testFtruncate(cb) {
 }
 
 {
-  const file6 = path.resolve(tmp, 'truncate-file-6.txt');
-  fs.writeFileSync(file6, 'Hi');
-  const fd = fs.openSync(file6, 'r+');
-  process.on('beforeExit', () => fs.closeSync(fd));
-  fs.ftruncate(fd, -1, common.mustSucceed(() => {
-    assert(fs.readFileSync(file6).equals(Buffer.from('')));
-  }));
+  assert.throws(
+    () => fs.ftruncate(fd, -1),
+    {
+      code: 'ERR_INVALID_ARG_VALUE',
+      name: /(TypeError|RangeError)/,
+      message: 'The argument \'len\' is invalid. Received -1'
+    }
+  );
 }
 
 {