Recently changed behavior with moving between CTRL-R history search to vi mode

[Cory Klein <coryfklein@xxxxxxxxx>]

Use case: Modify and run a previously run command.

Solution:

1. CTRL-R
2. search for command
3. ESC to end history search, placing result into command prompt
4. ESC again to enter vi mode
5. w/l/other vi movement key

However, recently I'm seeing that in some cases my shell is combining
the ESC from 4 with the movement key from 5:

ESC-w => delete from the beginning of the line to the current cursor position
ESC-l => insert "ls" in the current cursor position and execute the
command immediately (huh?)

I can get the original behavior back by hitting ESC one more time -
escaping whatever strange mode my prompt is in, and getting into vi
mode for reals.

Forgive me if this is not the correct forum for seeking help with
this, but does anyone here know what might be happening here, have a
solution, or a suggestion on where else I may look for more
information?

Thanks,

Cory Klein