diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/mount-utils/mount_linux.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/mount-utils/mount_linux.go
index 8b8857bdbd1..aaa592161d4 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/mount-utils/mount_linux.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/mount-utils/mount_linux.go
@@ -439,6 +439,11 @@ func (mounter *SafeFormatAndMount) formatAndMountSensitive(source string, target
 				"-m0", // Zero blocks reserved for super-user
 				source,
 			}
+		} else if fstype == "xfs" {
+			args = []string{
+				"-f", // force flag
+				source,
+			}
 		}
 
 		klog.Infof("Disk %q appears to be unformatted, attempting to format as type: %q with options: %v", source, fstype, args)
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/mount-utils/safe_format_and_mount_test.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/mount-utils/safe_format_and_mount_test.go
index 38c2c8f5b9f..4ea39c13845 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/mount-utils/safe_format_and_mount_test.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/mount-utils/safe_format_and_mount_test.go
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ func TestSafeFormatAndMount(t *testing.T) {
 			fstype:      "xfs",
 			execScripts: []ExecArgs{
 				{"blkid", []string{"-p", "-s", "TYPE", "-s", "PTTYPE", "-o", "export", "/dev/foo"}, "", &testingexec.FakeExitError{Status: 2}},
-				{"mkfs.xfs", []string{"/dev/foo"}, "", nil},
+				{"mkfs.xfs", []string{"-f", "/dev/foo"}, "", nil},
 			},
 		},
 		{
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ func TestSafeFormatAndMount(t *testing.T) {
 			mountErrs:   []error{fmt.Errorf("unknown filesystem type '(null)'"), nil},
 			execScripts: []ExecArgs{
 				{"blkid", []string{"-p", "-s", "TYPE", "-s", "PTTYPE", "-o", "export", "/dev/foo"}, "", &testingexec.FakeExitError{Status: 4}},
-				{"mkfs.xfs", []string{"/dev/foo"}, "", nil},
+				{"mkfs.xfs", []string{"-f", "/dev/foo"}, "", nil},
 			},
 			expErrorType: GetDiskFormatFailed,
 		},