diff --git a/lib/active_resource.rb b/lib/active_resource.rb
index 239d1d2d73..b78617d5f3 100644
--- a/lib/active_resource.rb
+++ b/lib/active_resource.rb
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@
 # WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
 #++
 
+require "uri"
+
 require "active_support"
 require "active_model"
 require "active_resource/exceptions"
@@ -31,6 +33,8 @@
 module ActiveResource
   extend ActiveSupport::Autoload
 
+  URI_PARSER = defined?(URI::RFC2396_PARSER) ? URI::RFC2396_PARSER : URI::RFC2396_Parser.new
+
   autoload :Base
   autoload :Callbacks
   autoload :Connection
diff --git a/lib/active_resource/base.rb b/lib/active_resource/base.rb
index 766338b26f..4dd31df9de 100644
--- a/lib/active_resource/base.rb
+++ b/lib/active_resource/base.rb
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
 require "active_support/core_ext/object/to_query"
 require "active_support/core_ext/object/duplicable"
 require "set"
-require "uri"
 
 require "active_resource/connection"
 require "active_resource/formats"
@@ -490,8 +489,8 @@ def site=(site)
           self._site = nil
         else
           self._site = create_site_uri_from(site)
-          self._user = URI::DEFAULT_PARSER.unescape(_site.user) if _site.user
-          self._password = URI::DEFAULT_PARSER.unescape(_site.password) if _site.password
+          self._user = URI_PARSER.unescape(_site.user) if _site.user
+          self._password = URI_PARSER.unescape(_site.password) if _site.password
         end
       end
 
@@ -750,7 +749,7 @@ def prefix_source
       # Default value is <tt>site.path</tt>.
       def prefix=(value = "/")
         # Replace :placeholders with '#{embedded options[:lookups]}'
-        prefix_call = value.gsub(/:\w+/) { |key| "\#{URI::DEFAULT_PARSER.escape options[#{key}].to_s}" }
+        prefix_call = value.gsub(/:\w+/) { |key| "\#{URI_PARSER.escape options[#{key}].to_s}" }
 
         # Clear prefix parameters in case they have been cached
         @prefix_parameters = nil
diff --git a/lib/active_resource/connection.rb b/lib/active_resource/connection.rb
index ca2515c421..200e23fca0 100644
--- a/lib/active_resource/connection.rb
+++ b/lib/active_resource/connection.rb
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
 require "net/https"
 require "date"
 require "time"
-require "uri"
 
 module ActiveResource
   # Class to handle connections to remote web services.
@@ -43,8 +42,8 @@ def initialize(site, format = ActiveResource::Formats::JsonFormat, logger: nil)
     def site=(site)
       @site = site.is_a?(URI) ? site : URI.parse(site)
       @ssl_options ||= {} if @site.is_a?(URI::HTTPS)
-      @user = URI::DEFAULT_PARSER.unescape(@site.user) if @site.user
-      @password = URI::DEFAULT_PARSER.unescape(@site.password) if @site.password
+      @user = URI_PARSER.unescape(@site.user) if @site.user
+      @password = URI_PARSER.unescape(@site.password) if @site.password
     end
 
     # Set the proxy for remote service.
@@ -173,8 +172,8 @@ def http
 
       def new_http
         if @proxy
-          user = URI::DEFAULT_PARSER.unescape(@proxy.user) if @proxy.user
-          password = URI::DEFAULT_PARSER.unescape(@proxy.password) if @proxy.password
+          user = URI_PARSER.unescape(@proxy.user) if @proxy.user
+          password = URI_PARSER.unescape(@proxy.password) if @proxy.password
           Net::HTTP.new(@site.host, @site.port, @proxy.host, @proxy.port, user, password)
         else
           Net::HTTP.new(@site.host, @site.port)