diff --git a/internal/loopir/lower.go b/internal/loopir/lower.go
index c4a7719..8d6eb6e 100644
--- a/internal/loopir/lower.go
+++ b/internal/loopir/lower.go
@@ -286,6 +286,12 @@ func (l *lowerer) bound(e ast.Expr) (bound, bool) {
 	}
 	b := bound{text: types.ExprString(e)}
 	b.value, b.isConst = l.constant(e)
+	if b.isConst {
+		// A named constant or a constant expression (s0, 1 - 1) is spelled as its
+		// value, so the checks that read a constant start or limit see it and the
+		// emitted code never indexes at a negative constant they would have caught.
+		b.text = strconv.FormatInt(b.value, 10)
+	}
 	if call, ok := ast.Unparen(e).(*ast.CallExpr); ok {
 		b.slice, _ = l.lenOf(call)
 	}
@@ -532,6 +538,25 @@ func (l *lowerer) body(node ast.Stmt, block *ast.BlockStmt, trip Trip, step int6
 		}
 	}
 
+	// A constant offset that puts an index below zero makes the scalar loop panic
+	// when it runs: on its first iteration when the start is a constant and the
+	// first index is negative, or on every iteration when the limit is a constant
+	// and even the last index is. It is left alone, since the vector loop would
+	// index or slice at a negative constant, which does not compile.
+	start, errStart := strconv.ParseInt(trip.Start, 10, 64)
+	limit, errLimit := strconv.ParseInt(trip.Limit, 10, 64)
+	negative := func(offset string) bool {
+		off, err := strconv.ParseInt(offset, 10, 64)
+		return err == nil && (errStart == nil && start+off < 0 || errLimit == nil && limit+off <= 0)
+	}
+	for _, stmt := range body {
+		for _, leaf := range Leaves(stmtValue(stmt)) {
+			if load, ok := leaf.(*Load); ok && negative(load.Off) {
+				return nil, ReasonNegativeIndex
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
 	loop := &Loop{
 		Node: node,
 		Ind:  Induction{Var: l.iv, Step: step, Trip: trip},
diff --git a/internal/loopir/reason.go b/internal/loopir/reason.go
index aaeca53..4757287 100644
--- a/internal/loopir/reason.go
+++ b/internal/loopir/reason.go
@@ -42,6 +42,12 @@ const (
 	// iteration writes (a[i] = a[i-1] + x): iteration i reads what iteration i-1
 	// wrote, so the iterations cannot run as a vector.
 	ReasonCarriedDependence Reason = "an iteration reads an element an earlier iteration wrote"
+	// ReasonNegativeIndex covers a slice read at a constant offset that puts an
+	// index below zero: the first index, with a constant start (a[i-1] in a loop
+	// from 0), or every index, with a constant limit (a[i-20] in a loop that stops
+	// before 16). The scalar loop panics when it runs, and the vector loop would
+	// index or slice at a negative constant, which does not compile.
+	ReasonNegativeIndex Reason = "a constant offset puts an index below zero"
 	// ReasonUnsupportedIf covers an if that is not a select: a condition that is
 	// not a comparison of loop values (joined by && and ||), an init statement, or
 	// a branch that is not one assignment to an element of the same slice.
diff --git a/testdata/offset_negative_constant.txt b/testdata/offset_negative_constant.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d23cc26
--- /dev/null
+++ b/testdata/offset_negative_constant.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+# A read at a negative constant offset is rewritten while every index it reads can
+# be zero or more. When an index is a negative constant, the first one in a loop
+# with a constant start (a[i-1] from 0) or every one in a loop with a constant limit
+# (a[i-16] in a loop that stops before 16), the scalar loop panics when it runs and
+# the vector loop would index at a negative constant, which does not compile, so the
+# loop is left alone, whether the start and limit are written as literals, named
+# constants or constant expressions. The rewritten package must build.
+
+loopvec -json .
+cmpenv stdout stdout.want
+
+loopvec -split .
+cmpenv stderr stderr.want
+env GOEXPERIMENT=simd
+exec go build .
+
+-- go.mod --
+module example.com/test
+
+go 1.27.1
+-- ops.go --
+package test
+
+func FirstIndexZeroConstant(dst, a []int32) {
+	for i := 15; i < 31; i++ {
+		dst[i] = a[i-15] + 1
+	}
+}
+
+func EveryIndexNegative(dst, a []int32) {
+	for i := 0; i < 16; i++ {
+		dst[i] = a[i-16] + 1
+	}
+}
+
+func FarBelow(dst, a []float32) {
+	for i := 0; i < 16; i++ {
+		dst[i] = a[i-20] * a[i]
+	}
+}
+
+func FirstIndexNegative(dst, a []int32, n int) {
+	for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
+		dst[i] = a[i-1] * 3
+	}
+}
+
+func FirstIndexZero(dst, a []int32, n int) {
+	for i := 1; i < n; i++ {
+		dst[i] = a[i-1] * 3
+	}
+}
+
+const s0, lim = 0, 16
+
+func NamedLimit(dst, a []int32, k int) {
+	for i := k; i < lim; i++ {
+		dst[i] = a[i-20] + 1
+	}
+}
+
+func NamedStart(dst, a []int32, n int) {
+	for i := s0; i < n; i++ {
+		dst[i] = a[i-1] * 3
+	}
+}
+
+func ExpressionStart(dst, a []int32, n int) {
+	for i := 1 - 1; i < n; i++ {
+		dst[i] = a[i-1] * 3
+	}
+}
+
+func NamedStartCopy(dst, a []int32, n int) {
+	for i := s0; i < n; i++ {
+		dst[i] = a[i-1]
+	}
+}
+-- stdout.want --
+{"file":"$WORK/ops.go","line":4,"func":"FirstIndexZeroConstant","vectorized":true}
+{"file":"$WORK/ops.go","line":10,"func":"EveryIndexNegative","vectorized":false,"reason":"a constant offset puts an index below zero","stage":"lower"}
+{"file":"$WORK/ops.go","line":16,"func":"FarBelow","vectorized":false,"reason":"a constant offset puts an index below zero","stage":"lower"}
+{"file":"$WORK/ops.go","line":22,"func":"FirstIndexNegative","vectorized":false,"reason":"a constant offset puts an index below zero","stage":"lower"}
+{"file":"$WORK/ops.go","line":28,"func":"FirstIndexZero","vectorized":true}
+{"file":"$WORK/ops.go","line":36,"func":"NamedLimit","vectorized":false,"reason":"a constant offset puts an index below zero","stage":"lower"}
+{"file":"$WORK/ops.go","line":42,"func":"NamedStart","vectorized":false,"reason":"a constant offset puts an index below zero","stage":"lower"}
+{"file":"$WORK/ops.go","line":48,"func":"ExpressionStart","vectorized":false,"reason":"a constant offset puts an index below zero","stage":"lower"}
+{"file":"$WORK/ops.go","line":54,"func":"NamedStartCopy","vectorized":false,"reason":"a constant offset puts an index below zero","stage":"lower"}
+-- stderr.want --
+loopvec: rewrote 2 loop(s) in $WORK/ops.go