diff --git a/libcxx/include/__string b/libcxx/include/__string
--- a/libcxx/include/__string
+++ b/libcxx/include/__string
@@ -106,7 +106,6 @@
   _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>::size_type basic_string<_CharType>::rfind(value_type, size_type) const) \
   _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS const basic_string<_CharType>::size_type basic_string<_CharType>::npos) \
   _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::assign(size_type, value_type)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::erase(size_type, size_type)) \
   _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::append(basic_string const&, size_type, size_type)) \
   _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS int basic_string<_CharType>::compare(value_type const*) const) \
   _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS int basic_string<_CharType>::compare(size_type, size_type, value_type const*) const) \
@@ -122,6 +121,12 @@
   _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS void basic_string<_CharType>::resize(size_type, value_type)) \
   _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::insert(size_type, basic_string const&, size_type, size_type))
 
+#define _LIBCPP_V1_STRING_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_LIST(_Func, _CharType) \
+  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::erase(size_type, size_type))
+
+#define _LIBCPP_V2_STRING_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_LIST(_Func, _CharType) \
+  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::__erase_external(size_type, size_type))
+
 
 // char_traits
 
diff --git a/libcxx/include/string b/libcxx/include/string
--- a/libcxx/include/string
+++ b/libcxx/include/string
@@ -1574,6 +1574,8 @@
     _LIBCPP_INLINE_VISIBILITY
     void __erase_to_end(size_type __pos);
 
+    basic_string& __erase_external(size_type __pos, size_type __n);
+
     _LIBCPP_INLINE_VISIBILITY
     void __copy_assign_alloc(const basic_string& __str)
         {__copy_assign_alloc(__str, integral_constant<bool,
@@ -2997,15 +2999,15 @@
 
 // erase
 
+// 'external instantiated' erase() implementation, called when __n != npos.
+// Does not check __pos against size()
 template <class _CharT, class _Traits, class _Allocator>
 basic_string<_CharT, _Traits, _Allocator>&
-basic_string<_CharT, _Traits, _Allocator>::erase(size_type __pos, size_type __n)
+basic_string<_CharT, _Traits, _Allocator>::__erase_external(size_type __pos, size_type __n)
 {
-    size_type __sz = size();
-    if (__pos > __sz)
-        this->__throw_out_of_range();
     if (__n)
     {
+        size_type __sz = size();
         value_type* __p = _VSTD::__to_address(__get_pointer());
         __n = _VSTD::min(__n, __sz - __pos);
         size_type __n_move = __sz - __pos - __n;
@@ -3019,6 +3021,19 @@
     return *this;
 }
 
+// Inline-able portion of the erase() implementation (unstable)
+template <class _CharT, class _Traits, class _Allocator>
+basic_string<_CharT, _Traits, _Allocator>&
+basic_string<_CharT, _Traits, _Allocator>::erase(size_type __pos,
+                                                 size_type __n) {
+  if (__pos > size()) this->__throw_out_of_range();
+  if (__n == npos) {
+    __erase_to_end(__pos);
+    return *this;
+  }
+  return __erase_external(__pos, __n);
+}
+
 template <class _CharT, class _Traits, class _Allocator>
 inline
 typename basic_string<_CharT, _Traits, _Allocator>::iterator
@@ -4341,6 +4356,14 @@
 _LIBCPP_STRING_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_LIST(_LIBCPP_EXTERN_TEMPLATE, char)
 _LIBCPP_STRING_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_LIST(_LIBCPP_EXTERN_TEMPLATE, wchar_t)
 
+#if defined(_LIBCPP_ABI_UNSTABLE) || _LIBCPP_ABI_VERSION >= 2
+_LIBCPP_V2_STRING_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_LIST(_LIBCPP_EXTERN_TEMPLATE, char)
+_LIBCPP_V2_STRING_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_LIST(_LIBCPP_EXTERN_TEMPLATE, wchar_t)
+#else
+_LIBCPP_V1_STRING_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_LIST(_LIBCPP_EXTERN_TEMPLATE, char)
+_LIBCPP_V1_STRING_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_LIST(_LIBCPP_EXTERN_TEMPLATE, wchar_t)
+#endif
+
 #if _LIBCPP_STD_VER > 11
 // Literal suffixes for basic_string [basic.string.literals]
 inline namespace literals
diff --git a/libcxx/src/string.cpp b/libcxx/src/string.cpp
--- a/libcxx/src/string.cpp
+++ b/libcxx/src/string.cpp
@@ -23,6 +23,12 @@
 _LIBCPP_STRING_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_LIST(_LIBCPP_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_DEFINE, char)
 _LIBCPP_STRING_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_LIST(_LIBCPP_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_DEFINE, wchar_t)
 
+_LIBCPP_V1_STRING_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_LIST(_LIBCPP_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_DEFINE, char)
+_LIBCPP_V1_STRING_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_LIST(_LIBCPP_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_DEFINE, wchar_t)
+
+_LIBCPP_V2_STRING_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_LIST(_LIBCPP_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_DEFINE, char)
+_LIBCPP_V2_STRING_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_LIST(_LIBCPP_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_DEFINE, wchar_t)
+
 template
     string
     operator+<char, char_traits<char>, allocator<char> >(char const*, string const&);