diff --git a/modules/openapi-generator/src/main/resources/C-libcurl/model-body.mustache b/modules/openapi-generator/src/main/resources/C-libcurl/model-body.mustache
index 0f9ec305c74..e487cb0f474 100644
--- a/modules/openapi-generator/src/main/resources/C-libcurl/model-body.mustache
+++ b/modules/openapi-generator/src/main/resources/C-libcurl/model-body.mustache
@@ -803,6 +803,20 @@ fail:
 
     return {{classname}}_local_var;
 end:
+    {{#vars}}
+    {{^isContainer}}
+    {{^isPrimitiveType}}
+    {{#isModel}}
+    {{^isEnum}}
+    if ({{{name}}}_local_nonprim) {
+        {{complexType}}_free({{{name}}}_local_nonprim);
+        {{{name}}}_local_nonprim = NULL;
+    }
+    {{/isEnum}}
+    {{/isModel}}
+    {{/isPrimitiveType}}
+    {{/isContainer}}
+    {{/vars}}
     return NULL;
 
 }
diff --git a/samples/client/petstore/c/.openapi-generator/VERSION b/samples/client/petstore/c/.openapi-generator/VERSION
index d99e7162d01..3fa3b389a57 100644
--- a/samples/client/petstore/c/.openapi-generator/VERSION
+++ b/samples/client/petstore/c/.openapi-generator/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-5.0.0-SNAPSHOT
\ No newline at end of file
+5.0.1-SNAPSHOT
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/samples/client/petstore/c/model/pet.c b/samples/client/petstore/c/model/pet.c
index 8acdcfa132e..5ee8445640b 100644
--- a/samples/client/petstore/c/model/pet.c
+++ b/samples/client/petstore/c/model/pet.c
@@ -264,6 +264,10 @@ pet_t *pet_parseFromJSON(cJSON *petJSON){
 
     return pet_local_var;
 end:
+    if (category_local_nonprim) {
+        category_free(category_local_nonprim);
+        category_local_nonprim = NULL;
+    }
     return NULL;
 
 }