diff --git a/docs/changelog/136732.yaml b/docs/changelog/136732.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..34aa46d6e218c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/changelog/136732.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+pr: 136732
+summary: Address `CompoundRetrieverBuilder` Failure Handling
+area: Search
+type: bug
+issues: []
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/retriever/CompoundRetrieverBuilder.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/retriever/CompoundRetrieverBuilder.java
index 8042be444292d..51968af61ee7e 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/retriever/CompoundRetrieverBuilder.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/search/retriever/CompoundRetrieverBuilder.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 import org.elasticsearch.action.search.MultiSearchResponse;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.search.SearchRequest;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.search.SearchResponse;
+import org.elasticsearch.action.search.ShardSearchFailure;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.search.TransportMultiSearchAction;
 import org.elasticsearch.features.NodeFeature;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.query.QueryBuilder;
@@ -174,9 +175,13 @@ public void onResponse(MultiSearchResponse items) {
                             }
                         } else {
                             assert item.getResponse() != null;
-                            var rankDocs = getRankDocs(item.getResponse());
-                            innerRetrievers.get(i).retriever().setRankDocs(rankDocs);
-                            topDocs.add(rankDocs);
+                            if (item.getResponse().getFailedShards() > 0) {
+                                statusCode = handleShardFailures(item.getResponse(), statusCode, failures);
+                            } else {
+                                var rankDocs = getRankDocs(item.getResponse());
+                                innerRetrievers.get(i).retriever().setRankDocs(rankDocs);
+                                topDocs.add(rankDocs);
+                            }
                         }
                     }
                     if (false == failures.isEmpty()) {
@@ -212,6 +217,26 @@ public void onFailure(Exception e) {
         return rankDocsRetrieverBuilder;
     }
 
+    static int handleShardFailures(SearchResponse response, int statusCode, List<Exception> failures) {
+        ShardSearchFailure[] shardFailures = response.getShardFailures();
+        for (ShardSearchFailure shardFailure : shardFailures) {
+            if (shardFailure != null) {
+                int shardFailureStatusCode = ExceptionsHelper.status(shardFailure.getCause()).getStatus();
+                failures.add(
+                    new ElasticsearchStatusException(
+                        "failed to retrieve data from shard ["
+                            + shardFailure.shardId()
+                            + "] with message: "
+                            + shardFailure.getCause().getMessage(),
+                        RestStatus.fromCode(shardFailureStatusCode)
+                    )
+                );
+                statusCode = Math.max(shardFailureStatusCode, statusCode);
+            }
+        }
+        return statusCode;
+    }
+
     @Override
     public final QueryBuilder topDocsQuery() {
         throw new IllegalStateException("Should not be called, missing a rewrite?");
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/search/retriever/CompoundRetrieverBuilderTests.java b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/search/retriever/CompoundRetrieverBuilderTests.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..6345581a3ac31
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/search/retriever/CompoundRetrieverBuilderTests.java
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright Elasticsearch B.V. and/or licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one
+ * or more contributor license agreements. Licensed under the "Elastic License
+ * 2.0", the "GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 only", and the "Server Side
+ * Public License v 1"; you may not use this file except in compliance with, at
+ * your election, the "Elastic License 2.0", the "GNU Affero General Public
+ * License v3.0 only", or the "Server Side Public License, v 1".
+ */
+
+package org.elasticsearch.search.retriever;
+
+import org.elasticsearch.action.search.SearchResponse;
+import org.elasticsearch.action.search.ShardSearchFailure;
+import org.elasticsearch.index.shard.ShardId;
+import org.elasticsearch.search.SearchShardTarget;
+import org.elasticsearch.test.ESTestCase;
+import org.mockito.Mockito;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.List;
+
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;
+
+public class CompoundRetrieverBuilderTests extends ESTestCase {
+    public void testShardFailureHandling() {
+        SearchResponse response = Mockito.mock(SearchResponse.class);
+        ShardSearchFailure[] shardFailures = new ShardSearchFailure[2];
+        shardFailures[0] = new ShardSearchFailure(
+            new IOException("some shard failed"), // 500
+            new SearchShardTarget("1", new ShardId("1", "1", 1), "foo")
+        );
+        shardFailures[1] = new ShardSearchFailure(
+            new IOException("some second shard failed"), // 500
+            new SearchShardTarget("2", new ShardId("2", "2", 2), "bar")
+        );
+        when(response.getShardFailures()).thenReturn(shardFailures);
+
+        int priorStatusCode = randomIntBetween(200, 600);
+        List<Exception> failures = new ArrayList<>();
+        int shardFailureStatusCode = CompoundRetrieverBuilder.handleShardFailures(response, priorStatusCode, failures);
+
+        assertEquals(2, failures.size());
+        assertEquals("failed to retrieve data from shard [1] with message: some shard failed", failures.get(0).getMessage());
+        assertEquals("failed to retrieve data from shard [2] with message: some second shard failed", failures.get(1).getMessage());
+        assertEquals(Math.max(priorStatusCode, 500), shardFailureStatusCode);
+    }
+}