diff --git a/packages/compiler-cli/src/ngtsc/core/src/compiler.ts b/packages/compiler-cli/src/ngtsc/core/src/compiler.ts
index bcb9b6a470..c5077cb3fa 100644
--- a/packages/compiler-cli/src/ngtsc/core/src/compiler.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler-cli/src/ngtsc/core/src/compiler.ts
@@ -116,7 +116,13 @@ export class NgCompiler {
 
     const moduleResolutionCache = ts.createModuleResolutionCache(
         this.adapter.getCurrentDirectory(),
-        fileName => this.adapter.getCanonicalFileName(fileName));
+        // Note: this used to be an arrow-function closure. However, JS engines like v8 have some
+        // strange behaviors with retaining the lexical scope of the closure. Even if this function
+        // doesn't retain a reference to `this`, if other closures in the constructor here reference
+        // `this` internally then a closure created here would retain them. This can cause major
+        // memory leak issues since the `moduleResolutionCache` is a long-lived object and finds its
+        // way into all kinds of places inside TS internal objects.
+        this.adapter.getCanonicalFileName.bind(this.adapter));
     this.moduleResolver =
         new ModuleResolver(tsProgram, this.options, this.adapter, moduleResolutionCache);
     this.resourceManager = new AdapterResourceLoader(adapter, this.options);
diff --git a/packages/compiler-cli/src/ngtsc/incremental/src/strategy.ts b/packages/compiler-cli/src/ngtsc/incremental/src/strategy.ts
index 8e8b3379f6..b7d60b9856 100644
--- a/packages/compiler-cli/src/ngtsc/incremental/src/strategy.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler-cli/src/ngtsc/incremental/src/strategy.ts
@@ -42,20 +42,22 @@ export class NoopIncrementalBuildStrategy implements IncrementalBuildStrategy {
  * Tracks an `IncrementalDriver` within the strategy itself.
  */
 export class TrackedIncrementalBuildStrategy implements IncrementalBuildStrategy {
-  private previous: IncrementalDriver|null = null;
-  private next: IncrementalDriver|null = null;
+  private driver: IncrementalDriver|null = null;
+  private isSet: boolean = false;
 
   getIncrementalDriver(): IncrementalDriver|null {
-    return this.next !== null ? this.next : this.previous;
+    return this.driver;
   }
 
   setIncrementalDriver(driver: IncrementalDriver): void {
-    this.next = driver;
+    this.driver = driver;
+    this.isSet = true;
   }
 
   toNextBuildStrategy(): TrackedIncrementalBuildStrategy {
     const strategy = new TrackedIncrementalBuildStrategy();
-    strategy.previous = this.next;
+    // Only reuse a driver that was explicitly set via `setIncrementalDriver`.
+    strategy.driver = this.isSet ? this.driver : null;
     return strategy;
   }
 }