diff --git a/numpy/core/src/multiarray/item_selection.c b/numpy/core/src/multiarray/item_selection.c
index 0ca63e43da40..27791afb5e7d 100644
--- a/numpy/core/src/multiarray/item_selection.c
+++ b/numpy/core/src/multiarray/item_selection.c
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 #include "ctors.h"
 #include "lowlevel_strided_loops.h"
 #include "array_assign.h"
+#include "refcount.h"
 
 #include "npy_sort.h"
 #include "npy_partition.h"
@@ -1070,6 +1071,9 @@ _new_sortlike(PyArrayObject *op, int axis, PyArray_SortFunc *sort,
             ret = -1;
             goto fail;
         }
+        if (PyDataType_FLAGCHK(PyArray_DESCR(op), NPY_NEEDS_INIT)) {
+            memset(buffer, 0, N * elsize);
+        }
     }
 
     NPY_BEGIN_THREADS_DESCR(PyArray_DESCR(op));
@@ -1114,16 +1118,7 @@ _new_sortlike(PyArrayObject *op, int axis, PyArray_SortFunc *sort,
         }
 
         if (needcopy) {
-            if (hasrefs) {
-                if (swap) {
-                    copyswapn(buffer, elsize, NULL, 0, N, swap, op);
-                }
-                _unaligned_strided_byte_copy(it->dataptr, astride,
-                                             buffer, elsize, N, elsize);
-            }
-            else {
-                copyswapn(it->dataptr, astride, buffer, elsize, N, swap, op);
-            }
+            copyswapn(it->dataptr, astride, buffer, elsize, N, swap, op);
         }
 
         PyArray_ITER_NEXT(it);
@@ -1132,7 +1127,10 @@ _new_sortlike(PyArrayObject *op, int axis, PyArray_SortFunc *sort,
 fail:
     NPY_END_THREADS_DESCR(PyArray_DESCR(op));
     /* cleanup internal buffer */
-    PyDataMem_UserFREE(buffer, N * elsize, mem_handler);
+    if (needcopy) {
+        PyArray_ClearBuffer(PyArray_DESCR(op), buffer, elsize, N, 1);
+        PyDataMem_UserFREE(buffer, N * elsize, mem_handler);
+    }
     if (ret < 0 && !PyErr_Occurred()) {
         /* Out of memory during sorting or buffer creation */
         PyErr_NoMemory();
@@ -1206,6 +1204,9 @@ _new_argsortlike(PyArrayObject *op, int axis, PyArray_ArgSortFunc *argsort,
             ret = -1;
             goto fail;
         }
+        if (PyDataType_FLAGCHK(PyArray_DESCR(op), NPY_NEEDS_INIT)) {
+            memset(valbuffer, 0, N * elsize);
+        }
     }
 
     if (needidxbuffer) {
@@ -1281,7 +1282,10 @@ _new_argsortlike(PyArrayObject *op, int axis, PyArray_ArgSortFunc *argsort,
 fail:
     NPY_END_THREADS_DESCR(PyArray_DESCR(op));
     /* cleanup internal buffers */
-    PyDataMem_UserFREE(valbuffer, N * elsize, mem_handler);
+    if (needcopy) {
+        PyArray_ClearBuffer(PyArray_DESCR(op), valbuffer, elsize, N, 1);
+        PyDataMem_UserFREE(valbuffer, N * elsize, mem_handler);
+    }
     PyDataMem_UserFREE(idxbuffer, N * sizeof(npy_intp), mem_handler);
     if (ret < 0) {
         if (!PyErr_Occurred()) {
diff --git a/numpy/core/tests/test_multiarray.py b/numpy/core/tests/test_multiarray.py
index 6a803a68da14..0799c0a5acf9 100644
--- a/numpy/core/tests/test_multiarray.py
+++ b/numpy/core/tests/test_multiarray.py
@@ -2116,19 +2116,26 @@ def test_sort_object(self):
             c.sort(kind=kind)
             assert_equal(c, a, msg)
 
-    def test_sort_structured(self):
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("dt", [
+            np.dtype([('f', float), ('i', int)]),
+            np.dtype([('f', float), ('i', object)])])
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("step", [1, 2])
+    def test_sort_structured(self, dt, step):
         # test record array sorts.
-        dt = np.dtype([('f', float), ('i', int)])
-        a = np.array([(i, i) for i in range(101)], dtype=dt)
+        a = np.array([(i, i) for i in range(101*step)], dtype=dt)
         b = a[::-1]
         for kind in ['q', 'h', 'm']:
             msg = "kind=%s" % kind
-            c = a.copy()
+            c = a.copy()[::step]
+            indx = c.argsort(kind=kind)
             c.sort(kind=kind)
-            assert_equal(c, a, msg)
-            c = b.copy()
+            assert_equal(c, a[::step], msg)
+            assert_equal(a[::step][indx], a[::step], msg)
+            c = b.copy()[::step]
+            indx = c.argsort(kind=kind)
             c.sort(kind=kind)
-            assert_equal(c, a, msg)
+            assert_equal(c, a[step-1::step], msg)
+            assert_equal(b[::step][indx], a[step-1::step], msg)
 
     @pytest.mark.parametrize('dtype', ['datetime64[D]', 'timedelta64[D]'])
     def test_sort_time(self, dtype):