diff --git a/plugins/InspectionGadgets/InspectionGadgetsAnalysis/src/com/siyeh/ig/bugs/MalformedFormatStringInspectionBase.java b/plugins/InspectionGadgets/InspectionGadgetsAnalysis/src/com/siyeh/ig/bugs/MalformedFormatStringInspectionBase.java
index 907555f8a1b6..684d035efffc 100644
--- a/plugins/InspectionGadgets/InspectionGadgetsAnalysis/src/com/siyeh/ig/bugs/MalformedFormatStringInspectionBase.java
+++ b/plugins/InspectionGadgets/InspectionGadgetsAnalysis/src/com/siyeh/ig/bugs/MalformedFormatStringInspectionBase.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2003-2016 Dave Griffith, Bas Leijdekkers
+ * Copyright 2003-2017 Dave Griffith, Bas Leijdekkers
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import com.siyeh.ig.BaseInspection;
 import com.siyeh.ig.BaseInspectionVisitor;
 import com.siyeh.ig.psiutils.ExpressionUtils;
 import com.siyeh.ig.psiutils.FormatUtils;
+import com.siyeh.ig.psiutils.ParenthesesUtils;
 import org.jdom.Element;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.NonNls;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.NotNull;
@@ -130,12 +131,13 @@ public class MalformedFormatStringInspectionBase extends BaseInspection {
         return;
       }
       final PsiExpressionList argumentList = expression.getArgumentList();
-      final PsiExpression[] arguments = argumentList.getExpressions();
-      final int formatArgumentIndex = findFirstStringArgumentIndex(arguments);
+      PsiExpression[] arguments = argumentList.getExpressions();
+      int formatArgumentIndex = findFirstStringArgumentIndex(arguments);
       if (formatArgumentIndex < 0) {
         return;
       }
       final PsiExpression formatArgument = arguments[formatArgumentIndex];
+      formatArgumentIndex++;
       if (!ExpressionUtils.hasStringType(formatArgument) || !PsiUtil.isConstantExpression(formatArgument)) {
         return;
       }
@@ -147,7 +149,7 @@ public class MalformedFormatStringInspectionBase extends BaseInspection {
       if (value == null) {
         return;
       }
-      final int argumentCount = arguments.length - (formatArgumentIndex + 1);
+      int argumentCount = arguments.length - (formatArgumentIndex);
       final FormatDecode.Validator[] validators;
       try {
         validators = FormatDecode.decode(value, argumentCount);
@@ -156,20 +158,36 @@ public class MalformedFormatStringInspectionBase extends BaseInspection {
         registerError(formatArgument, e);
         return;
       }
-      if (validators.length != argumentCount) {
-        if (argumentCount == 1) {
-          final PsiExpression argument = arguments[formatArgumentIndex + 1];
-          final PsiType argumentType = argument.getType();
-          if (argumentType instanceof PsiArrayType) {
+      if (argumentCount == 1) {
+        final PsiExpression argument = resolveIfPossible(arguments[formatArgumentIndex]);
+        final PsiType argumentType = argument.getType();
+        if (argumentType instanceof PsiArrayType) {
+          final PsiArrayInitializerExpression arrayInitializer;
+          if (argument instanceof PsiNewExpression) {
+            final PsiNewExpression newExpression = (PsiNewExpression)argument;
+            arrayInitializer = newExpression.getArrayInitializer();
+          }
+          else if (argument instanceof PsiArrayInitializerExpression) {
+            arrayInitializer = (PsiArrayInitializerExpression)argument;
+          }
+          else {
             return;
           }
+          if (arrayInitializer == null) {
+            return;
+          }
+          arguments = arrayInitializer.getInitializers();
+          argumentCount = arguments.length;
+          formatArgumentIndex = 0;
         }
+      }
+      if (validators.length != argumentCount) {
         registerMethodCallError(expression, validators, Integer.valueOf(argumentCount));
         return;
       }
       for (int i = 0; i < validators.length; i++) {
         final FormatDecode.Validator validator = validators[i];
-        final PsiExpression argument = arguments[i + formatArgumentIndex + 1];
+        final PsiExpression argument = arguments[i + formatArgumentIndex];
         final PsiType argumentType = argument.getType();
         if (argumentType == null) {
           continue;
@@ -179,5 +197,21 @@ public class MalformedFormatStringInspectionBase extends BaseInspection {
         }
       }
     }
+
+    private PsiExpression resolveIfPossible(PsiExpression expression) {
+      expression = ParenthesesUtils.stripParentheses(expression);
+      if (expression instanceof PsiReferenceExpression) {
+        final PsiReferenceExpression referenceExpression = (PsiReferenceExpression)expression;
+        final PsiElement target = referenceExpression.resolve();
+        if (target instanceof PsiVariable && target.getContainingFile() == expression.getContainingFile()) {
+          final PsiVariable variable = (PsiVariable)target;
+          final PsiExpression initializer = variable.getInitializer();
+          if (initializer != null) {
+            return initializer;
+          }
+        }
+      }
+      return expression;
+    }
   }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/plugins/InspectionGadgets/test/com/siyeh/igtest/bugs/malformed_format_string/MalformedFormatString.java b/plugins/InspectionGadgets/test/com/siyeh/igtest/bugs/malformed_format_string/MalformedFormatString.java
index 383176e969b8..ee50bbfe8df2 100644
--- a/plugins/InspectionGadgets/test/com/siyeh/igtest/bugs/malformed_format_string/MalformedFormatString.java
+++ b/plugins/InspectionGadgets/test/com/siyeh/igtest/bugs/malformed_format_string/MalformedFormatString.java
@@ -124,6 +124,16 @@ public class MalformedFormatString {
     public String highlightBothArguments() {
         return String.format("count 1: %f, count 2: %f", <warning descr="Argument type 'int' does not match the type of the format specifier '%f'">count1</warning>, <warning descr="Argument type 'int' does not match the type of the format specifier '%f'">count2</warning>);
     }
+
+    void arrayArguments() {
+        String.format("%c", new Object[]{'a'});
+        String.<warning descr="Too many arguments for format string (found: 2, expected: 1)">format</warning>("%c", new Object[]{'a', 'b'});
+        String.<warning descr="Too few arguments for format string (found: 1, expected: 2)">format</warning>("%c %c", new Object[]{'a'});
+        Object[] array = new Object[]{<warning descr="Argument type 'String' does not match the type of the format specifier '%#s'">"the void"</warning>};
+        String.format("%#s", array);
+        Object[] array2 = {<warning descr="Argument type 'String' does not match the type of the format specifier '%#s'">"the void"</warning>};
+        String.format("%#s", array2);
+    }
 }
 class A {
     void m(Formattable f) {