diff --git a/pkg/api/v1/conversion.go b/pkg/api/v1/conversion.go
index 45d7c7af..4de76dd5 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1/conversion.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1/conversion.go
@@ -481,10 +481,16 @@ func Convert_v1_PodTemplateSpec_To_api_PodTemplateSpec(in *PodTemplateSpec, out
 		in.Spec.InitContainers = values
 
 		// Call defaulters explicitly until annotations are removed
-		for i := range in.Spec.InitContainers {
-			c := &in.Spec.InitContainers[i]
-			SetDefaults_Container(c)
+		tmpPodTemp := &PodTemplate{
+			Template: PodTemplateSpec{
+				Spec: PodSpec{
+					HostNetwork:    in.Spec.HostNetwork,
+					InitContainers: values,
+				},
+			},
 		}
+		SetObjectDefaults_PodTemplate(tmpPodTemp)
+		in.Spec.InitContainers = tmpPodTemp.Template.Spec.InitContainers
 	}
 
 	if err := autoConvert_v1_PodTemplateSpec_To_api_PodTemplateSpec(in, out, s); err != nil {
@@ -604,10 +610,14 @@ func Convert_v1_Pod_To_api_Pod(in *Pod, out *api.Pod, s conversion.Scope) error
 		// back to the caller.
 		in.Spec.InitContainers = values
 		// Call defaulters explicitly until annotations are removed
-		for i := range in.Spec.InitContainers {
-			c := &in.Spec.InitContainers[i]
-			SetDefaults_Container(c)
+		tmpPod := &Pod{
+			Spec: PodSpec{
+				HostNetwork:    in.Spec.HostNetwork,
+				InitContainers: values,
+			},
 		}
+		SetObjectDefaults_Pod(tmpPod)
+		in.Spec.InitContainers = tmpPod.Spec.InitContainers
 	}
 	// If there is a beta annotation, copy to alpha key.
 	// See commit log for PR #31026 for why we do this.