diff --git a/pkg/features/kube_features.go b/pkg/features/kube_features.go
index 53c8bdf19c3..8bcf72ecdbc 100644
--- a/pkg/features/kube_features.go
+++ b/pkg/features/kube_features.go
@@ -668,6 +668,14 @@ const (
 	// alpha: v1.21
 	// LoadBalancerIPMode enables the IPMode field in the LoadBalancerIngress status of a Service
 	LoadBalancerIPMode featuregate.Feature = "LoadBalancerIPMode"
+
+	// owner: @andrewsykim @SergeyKanzhelev
+	// GA: v1.20
+	//
+	// Ensure kubelet respects exec probe timeouts. Feature gate exists in-case existing workloads
+	// may depend on old behavior where exec probe timeouts were ignored.
+	// Lock to default in v1.21 and remove in v1.22.
+	ExecProbeTimeout featuregate.Feature = "ExecProbeTimeout"
 )
 
 func init() {
@@ -769,6 +777,7 @@ var defaultKubernetesFeatureGates = map[featuregate.Feature]featuregate.FeatureS
 	RootCAConfigMap:                                {Default: true, PreRelease: featuregate.Beta},
 	SizeMemoryBackedVolumes:                        {Default: false, PreRelease: featuregate.Alpha},
 	LoadBalancerIPMode:                             {Default: false, PreRelease: featuregate.Alpha},
+	ExecProbeTimeout:                               {Default: true, PreRelease: featuregate.GA}, // lock to default in v1.21 and remove in v1.22
 
 	// inherited features from generic apiserver, relisted here to get a conflict if it is changed
 	// unintentionally on either side: