diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Core and Builtins/2022-02-06-23-08-30.bpo-40479.zED3Zu.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Core and Builtins/2022-02-06-23-08-30.bpo-40479.zED3Zu.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..52701d53d8fe21
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Core and Builtins/2022-02-06-23-08-30.bpo-40479.zED3Zu.rst	
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Add a missing call to ``va_end()`` in ``Modules/_hashopenssl.c``.
diff --git a/Modules/_hashopenssl.c b/Modules/_hashopenssl.c
index 2eaa5f7d85d80a..65538f63f7bf42 100644
--- a/Modules/_hashopenssl.c
+++ b/Modules/_hashopenssl.c
@@ -266,6 +266,7 @@ _setException(PyObject *exc, const char* altmsg, ...)
         } else {
             PyErr_FormatV(exc, altmsg, vargs);
         }
+        va_end(vargs);
         return NULL;
     }
     va_end(vargs);