diff --git a/tests/t1100-replace.sh b/tests/t1100-replace.sh
index aa3f9ad..370446f 100755
--- a/tests/t1100-replace.sh
+++ b/tests/t1100-replace.sh
@@ -45,6 +45,12 @@ grow some corn
 thrash some hay
 chase the chickens
 EOF
+test_todo_session 'replace error' << EOF
+>>> todo.sh replace 10 "hej!"
+=== 1
+TODO: No task 10.
+EOF
+
 test_todo_session 'replace in multi-item file' <<EOF
 >>> todo.sh replace 1 smell the cheese
 1 smell the cows
@@ -89,10 +95,24 @@ grow some corn
 thrash some hay
 chase the chickens
 EOF
-test_todo_session 'replace error' << EOF
->>> todo.sh replace 10 "hej!"
-=== 1
-TODO: No task 10.
+test_todo_session 'replace with symbols' <<EOF
+>>> todo.sh replace 1 "~@#$%^&*()-_=+[{]}|;:',<.>/?"
+1 smell the cows
+TODO: Replaced task with:
+1 ~@#$%^&*()-_=+[{]}|;:',<.>/?
+
+>>> todo.sh replace 2 '\`!\\"'
+2 grow some corn
+TODO: Replaced task with:
+2 \`!\\"
+
+>>> todo.sh list
+4 chase the chickens
+3 thrash some hay
+2 \`!\\"
+1 ~@#$%^&*()-_=+[{]}|;:',<.>/?
+--
+TODO: 4 of 4 tasks shown
 EOF
 
 cat /dev/null > todo.txt
diff --git a/tests/t1400-prepend.sh b/tests/t1400-prepend.sh
index e0cc049..5ddd925 100755
--- a/tests/t1400-prepend.sh
+++ b/tests/t1400-prepend.sh
@@ -57,6 +57,28 @@ test_todo_session 'prepend with &' <<EOF
 3 no running & jumping now stop
 EOF
 
+cat > todo.txt <<EOF
+smell the cows
+grow some corn
+thrash some hay
+chase the chickens
+EOF
+test_todo_session 'prepend with symbols' <<EOF
+>>> todo.sh prepend 1 "~@#$%^&*()-_=+[{]}|;:',<.>/?"
+1 ~@#$%^&*()-_=+[{]}|;:',<.>/? smell the cows
+
+>>> todo.sh prepend 2 '\`!\\"'
+2 \`!\\" grow some corn
+
+>>> todo.sh list
+4 chase the chickens
+3 thrash some hay
+2 \`!\\" grow some corn
+1 ~@#$%^&*()-_=+[{]}|;:',<.>/? smell the cows
+--
+TODO: 4 of 4 tasks shown
+EOF
+
 cat /dev/null > todo.txt
 test_todo_session 'prepend handling prepended date on add' <<EOF
 >>> todo.sh -t add "new task"
diff --git a/tests/t1600-append.sh b/tests/t1600-append.sh
index ed3e436..e75de78 100755
--- a/tests/t1600-append.sh
+++ b/tests/t1600-append.sh
@@ -17,6 +17,12 @@ test_todo_session 'append usage' <<EOF
 usage: todo.sh append ITEM# "TEXT TO APPEND"
 EOF
 
+test_todo_session 'append error' << EOF
+>>> todo.sh append 10 "hej!"
+=== 1
+TODO: No task 10.
+EOF
+
 test_todo_session 'basic append' <<EOF
 >>> todo.sh append 1 "smell the roses"
 1 notice the daisies smell the roses
@@ -37,11 +43,26 @@ test_todo_session 'basic append with &' <<EOF
 TODO: 1 of 1 tasks shown
 EOF
 
+cat > todo.txt <<EOF
+smell the cows
+grow some corn
+thrash some hay
+chase the chickens
+EOF
+test_todo_session 'append with symbols' <<EOF
+>>> todo.sh append 1 "~@#$%^&*()-_=+[{]}|;:',<.>/?"
+1 smell the cows ~@#$%^&*()-_=+[{]}|;:',<.>/?
 
-test_todo_session 'append error' << EOF
->>> todo.sh append 10 "hej!"
-=== 1
-TODO: No task 10.
+>>> todo.sh append 2 '\`!\\"'
+2 grow some corn \`!\\"
+
+>>> todo.sh list
+4 chase the chickens
+2 grow some corn \`!\\"
+1 smell the cows ~@#$%^&*()-_=+[{]}|;:',<.>/?
+3 thrash some hay
+--
+TODO: 4 of 4 tasks shown
 EOF
 
 cat > todo.txt <<EOF
diff --git a/todo.sh b/todo.sh
index 0b39645..1dec8c0 100755
--- a/todo.sh
+++ b/todo.sh
@@ -272,8 +272,16 @@ cleaninput()
     input=`echo $input | tr -d '\r\n'`
 
     if [ "$1" = "for sed" ]; then
-        # This action uses sed and & as the matched string so escape it
-        input=`echo $input | sed 's/\&/\\\&/g'`
+        # This action uses sed and & as the matched string so escape it.
+        # Backslashes must be escaped, too.
+        input=`echo $input | sed -e 's+\\\+\\\\\\\\+g' -e 's/\&/\\\&/g'`
+
+        # Find a separator that doesn't occur in $input, sed cannot handle it, and escaping doesn't help.
+        # In the worst case (no separator found), the replacement text after the "|" is lost.
+        for inputSep in '%' '#' '@' ':' '!' '|'
+        do
+            [[ "$input" = *${inputSep}* ]] || break
+        done
     fi
 }
 
@@ -319,6 +327,7 @@ replaceOrPrepend()
     input=$*
   fi
   cleaninput "for sed"
+  sep=${inputSep:-|}
 
   # Retrieve existing priority and prepended date
   priority=$(sed -e "$item!d" -e $item's/^\(([A-Z]) \)\{0,1\}\([0-9]\{2,4\}-[0-9]\{2\}-[0-9]\{2\} \)\{0,1\}.*/\1/' "$TODO_FILE")
@@ -333,7 +342,7 @@ replaceOrPrepend()
   # Temporarily remove any existing priority and prepended date, perform the
   # change (replace/prepend) and re-insert the existing priority and prepended
   # date again.
-  sed -i.bak -e "$item s/^${priority}${prepdate}//" -e "$item s|^.*|${priority}${prepdate}${input}${backref}|" "$TODO_FILE"
+  sed -i.bak -e "$item s/^${priority}${prepdate}//" -e "$item s${sep}^.*${sep}${priority}${prepdate}${input}${backref}${sep}" "$TODO_FILE"
   if [ $TODOTXT_VERBOSE -gt 0 ]; then
     newtodo=$(sed "$item!d" "$TODO_FILE")
     case "$action" in
@@ -840,8 +849,9 @@ case $action in
       *)                        appendspace=" ";;
     esac
     cleaninput "for sed"
+    sep=${inputSep:-|}
 
-    if sed -i.bak $item" s|^.*|&${appendspace}${input}|" "$TODO_FILE"; then
+    if sed -i.bak $item" s${sep}^.*${sep}&${appendspace}${input}${sep}" "$TODO_FILE"; then
         if [ $TODOTXT_VERBOSE -gt 0 ]; then
             newtodo=$(sed "$item!d" "$TODO_FILE")
             echo "$item $newtodo"