diff --git a/src/components/icon/icon.spec.js b/src/components/icon/icon.spec.js
index cf6ef75ed8..2cd82d508a 100644
--- a/src/components/icon/icon.spec.js
+++ b/src/components/icon/icon.spec.js
@@ -593,6 +593,22 @@ describe('MdIcon service', function() {
         $scope.$digest();
       });
 
+      // This covers a case where we saw a g3 test using an empty <svg></svg> and it could
+      // throw an exception "Looking up elements via selectors is not supported by jqLite!"
+      // if proper checks weren't in place in the transformClone() code.
+      it('should handle empty SVGs', function() {
+        // Just request the icon to be stored in the cache.
+        $mdIcon('emptyGroup.svg');
+
+        $scope.$digest();
+
+        $mdIcon('emptyGroup.svg').then(function(el) {
+          expect(el).toBeTruthy();
+        });
+
+        $scope.$digest();
+      });
+
       it('should suffix duplicated ids and refs', function() {
         // Just request the icon to be stored in the cache.
         $mdIcon('angular-logo.svg');
diff --git a/src/components/icon/js/iconService.js b/src/components/icon/js/iconService.js
index 6bbd34c552..987c9d3999 100644
--- a/src/components/icon/js/iconService.js
+++ b/src/components/icon/js/iconService.js
@@ -350,14 +350,14 @@ MdIconProvider.prototype = {
   /**
    * Configuration item stored in the Icon registry; used for lookups
    * to load if not already cached in the `loaded` cache
-   * @param url
-   * @param viewBoxSize
+   * @param {string} url
+   * @param {=number} viewBoxSize
    * @constructor
    */
   function ConfigurationItem(url, viewBoxSize) {
-  this.url = url;
-  this.viewBoxSize = viewBoxSize || config.defaultViewBoxSize;
-}
+    this.url = url;
+    this.viewBoxSize = viewBoxSize || config.defaultViewBoxSize;
+  }
 
 /**
  * @ngdoc service
@@ -473,13 +473,13 @@ function MdIconService(config, $templateRequest, $q, $log, $mdUtil, $sce) {
   }
 
   /**
-   * @param {Icon} cacheElement cached icon from the iconCache
+   * @param {!Icon} cacheElement cached icon from the iconCache
    * @returns {Icon} cloned Icon element with unique ids
    */
   function transformClone(cacheElement) {
     var clone = cacheElement.clone();
     var newUid = $mdUtil.nextUid();
-    var cacheSuffix;
+    var cacheSuffix, svgElement;
 
     // Verify that the newUid only contains a number and not some XSS content.
     if (!isFinite(Number(newUid))) {
@@ -501,11 +501,19 @@ function MdIconService(config, $templateRequest, $q, $log, $mdUtil, $sce) {
     angular.forEach(clone.querySelectorAll('[id]'), function(descendantElem) {
       descendantElem.id += cacheSuffix;
     });
-    // Inject the cacheSuffix into all instances of url(id) and xlink:href="#id".
-    // This use of innerHTML should be safe from XSS attack since we are only injecting the
-    // cacheSuffix with content from $mdUtil.nextUid which we verify is a finite number above.
-    clone.innerHTML = clone.innerHTML.replace(/(.*url\(#)(\w*)(\).*)/g, addCacheSuffixToId);
-    clone.innerHTML = clone.innerHTML.replace(/(.*xlink:href="#)(\w*)(".*)/g, addCacheSuffixToId);
+    // innerHTML of SVG elements is not supported by IE11
+    if (clone.innerHTML === undefined) {
+      svgElement = $mdUtil.getInnerHTML(clone);
+      svgElement = svgElement.replace(/(.*url\(#)(\w*)(\).*)/g, addCacheSuffixToId);
+      svgElement = svgElement.replace(/(.*xlink:href="#)(\w*)(".*)/g, addCacheSuffixToId);
+      clone = angular.element(svgElement)[0];
+    } else {
+      // Inject the cacheSuffix into all instances of url(id) and xlink:href="#id".
+      // This use of innerHTML should be safe from XSS attack since we are only injecting the
+      // cacheSuffix with content from $mdUtil.nextUid which we verify is a finite number above.
+      clone.innerHTML = clone.innerHTML.replace(/(.*url\(#)(\w*)(\).*)/g, addCacheSuffixToId);
+      clone.innerHTML = clone.innerHTML.replace(/(.*xlink:href="#)(\w*)(".*)/g, addCacheSuffixToId);
+    }
 
     return clone;
   }
@@ -605,24 +613,37 @@ function MdIconService(config, $templateRequest, $q, $log, $mdUtil, $sce) {
 
   /**
    * Check target signature to see if it is an Icon instance.
+   * @param {Icon|Element} target
+   * @returns {boolean} true if the specified target is an Icon object, false otherwise.
    */
   function isIcon(target) {
     return angular.isDefined(target.element) && angular.isDefined(target.config);
   }
 
   /**
-   *  Define the Icon class
+   * Define the Icon class
+   * @param {Element} el
+   * @param {=ConfigurationItem} config
+   * @constructor
    */
   function Icon(el, config) {
+    var elementContents;
     // If the node is a <symbol>, it won't be rendered so we have to convert it into <svg>.
     if (el && el.tagName.toLowerCase() === 'symbol') {
       var viewbox = el.getAttribute('viewBox');
-      el = angular.element('<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">').html(el.innerHTML)[0];
+      // Check if innerHTML is supported as IE11 does not support innerHTML on SVG elements.
+      if (el.innerHTML) {
+        elementContents = el.innerHTML;
+      } else {
+        elementContents = $mdUtil.getInnerHTML(el);
+      }
+      el = angular.element('<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">').append(elementContents)[0];
       if (viewbox) el.setAttribute('viewBox', viewbox);
     }
 
     if (el && el.tagName.toLowerCase() !== 'svg') {
-      el = angular.element('<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">').append(el.cloneNode(true))[0];
+      el = angular.element(
+        '<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">').append(el.cloneNode(true))[0];
     }
 
     // Inject the namespace if not available...
diff --git a/src/core/util/util.js b/src/core/util/util.js
index e0db315b9a..84eae487c9 100644
--- a/src/core/util/util.js
+++ b/src/core/util/util.js
@@ -13,8 +13,8 @@ var nextUniqueId = 0;
  * Util
  */
 angular
-  .module('material.core')
-  .factory('$mdUtil', UtilFactory);
+.module('material.core')
+.factory('$mdUtil', UtilFactory);
 
 /**
  * @ngInject
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ function UtilFactory($document, $timeout, $compile, $rootScope, $$mdAnimate, $in
       // or a clientRect: a rect relative to the page
       var offsetRect = isOffsetRect ?
         offsetParent.getBoundingClientRect() :
-      {left: 0, top: 0, width: 0, height: 0};
+        {left: 0, top: 0, width: 0, height: 0};
       return {
         left: nodeRect.left - offsetRect.left,
         top: nodeRect.top - offsetRect.top,
@@ -857,6 +857,19 @@ function UtilFactory($document, $timeout, $compile, $rootScope, $$mdAnimate, $in
       return array.filter(function(value, index, self) {
         return self.indexOf(value) === index;
       });
+    },
+
+    /**
+     * Function to get innerHTML of SVG and Symbol elements in IE11
+     * @param {Element} element
+     * @returns {string} the innerHTML of the element passed in
+     */
+    getInnerHTML: function(element) {
+      var serializer = new XMLSerializer();
+
+      return Array.prototype.map.call(element.childNodes, function (child) {
+        return serializer.serializeToString(child);
+      }).join('');
     }
   };
 
@@ -879,14 +892,14 @@ function UtilFactory($document, $timeout, $compile, $rootScope, $$mdAnimate, $in
  */
 
 angular.element.prototype.focus = angular.element.prototype.focus || function() {
-    if (this.length) {
-      this[0].focus();
-    }
-    return this;
-  };
+  if (this.length) {
+    this[0].focus();
+  }
+  return this;
+};
 angular.element.prototype.blur = angular.element.prototype.blur || function() {
-    if (this.length) {
-      this[0].blur();
-    }
-    return this;
-  };
+  if (this.length) {
+    this[0].blur();
+  }
+  return this;
+};