While the Belgian world number two was unhappy with her overall display in a battling win, third-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva was upset 4-6 7-6 6-4 by Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova in a marathon lasting just over three hours.
Cibulkova needed four match points to overcome the Russian for the first time in four meetings and will next meet 23rd-seeded Belgian Yanina Wickmayer, who beat 14th seed Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 3-6 6-4 6-1.
There were also comfortable wins for holder Jelena Jankovic of
Serbia, who crushed Germany's Julia Goerges 6-2 6-4, and Italy's French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, the fifth seed, who brushed aside Alize Cornet of France 6-2 6-3.
Second seed Clijsters mixed six aces with 13 double faults against Errani but broke her opponent twice early in the third set to win a wildly fluctuating encounter in just under two hours at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Champion here in 2003 and 2005, the Belgian failed to hold serve twice in the opening set and three times in the second as the gutsy Italian kept the former world number one under constant pressure.
"It wasn't my best tennis today," Clijsters said courtside after booking a place in the next round against 15th-seeded Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli, a 6-4 6-2 winner against Germany's Andrea Petkovic.
"I just felt a little slower on the feet. And serving, my shoulder has been bothering me for a while. On this surface against a player who plays with a lot of topspin, I just feel it a little bit more.
"I played a tricky player who played a good match, but I was still able to win without being close to coming to my best level. That's the positive thing."
Clijsters, who won the Australian Open in January, had not competed before this week for almost a month since losing to Czech Petra Kvitova in the Paris Open final.
SWIFT DEMOLITION
She swiftly demolished Russian Alla Kudryavtseva 6-2 6-0 in her opening match on Friday but faced much tougher resistance from baseline battler Errani.
"I also know that for my next match everything will have to be a lot better," Clijsters said. "That's what my goal will be... is trying to achieve that."
Jankovic, who beat Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki in last year's final, failed to hold serve just once against Goerges and converted four of her eight break point opportunities to extend her winning streak here to eight matches.
"Pretty much happy with the way I'm playing in this moment," the 26-year-old Serb said. "My tennis is improving. I had a tough opponent. She hits the ball pretty big and serves very well. I was happy to hold my ground and play my shots.
"I feel like my confidence is rising. I still feel that I can play much better but I'm on the right track. If I can just continue to work hard and believe in myself and work on certain things in my game, I'll probably be going even higher."
In other matches, 10th seed Shahar Peer of Israel needed two hours and 17 minutes to scrape past 17th-seeded Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 2-6 6-3 7-5 while Ana Ivanovic of Serbia swept aside Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-2 6-2.
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