diff --git a/pkg/util/mount/mount_linux.go b/pkg/util/mount/mount_linux.go
index dbb864cd479..c298c1ed036 100644
--- a/pkg/util/mount/mount_linux.go
+++ b/pkg/util/mount/mount_linux.go
@@ -511,7 +511,11 @@ func (mounter *SafeFormatAndMount) formatAndMount(source string, target string,
 			}
 
 			if fstype == "ext4" || fstype == "ext3" {
-				args = []string{"-F", source}
+				args = []string{
+					"-F",  // Force flag
+					"-m0", // Zero blocks reserved for super-user
+					source,
+				}
 			}
 			glog.Infof("Disk %q appears to be unformatted, attempting to format as type: %q with options: %v", source, fstype, args)
 			_, err := mounter.Exec.Run("mkfs."+fstype, args...)
diff --git a/pkg/util/mount/safe_format_and_mount_test.go b/pkg/util/mount/safe_format_and_mount_test.go
index 20bfeb9f624..506126b300b 100644
--- a/pkg/util/mount/safe_format_and_mount_test.go
+++ b/pkg/util/mount/safe_format_and_mount_test.go
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ func TestSafeFormatAndMount(t *testing.T) {
 			execScripts: []ExecArgs{
 				{"fsck", []string{"-a", "/dev/foo"}, "", nil},
 				{"blkid", []string{"-p", "-s", "TYPE", "-s", "PTTYPE", "-o", "export", "/dev/foo"}, "", &fakeexec.FakeExitError{Status: 2}},
-				{"mkfs.ext4", []string{"-F", "/dev/foo"}, "", fmt.Errorf("formatting failed")},
+				{"mkfs.ext4", []string{"-F", "-m0", "/dev/foo"}, "", fmt.Errorf("formatting failed")},
 			},
 			expectedError: fmt.Errorf("formatting failed"),
 		},
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ func TestSafeFormatAndMount(t *testing.T) {
 			execScripts: []ExecArgs{
 				{"fsck", []string{"-a", "/dev/foo"}, "", nil},
 				{"blkid", []string{"-p", "-s", "TYPE", "-s", "PTTYPE", "-o", "export", "/dev/foo"}, "", &fakeexec.FakeExitError{Status: 2}},
-				{"mkfs.ext4", []string{"-F", "/dev/foo"}, "", nil},
+				{"mkfs.ext4", []string{"-F", "-m0", "/dev/foo"}, "", nil},
 			},
 			expectedError: fmt.Errorf("Still cannot mount"),
 		},
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ func TestSafeFormatAndMount(t *testing.T) {
 			execScripts: []ExecArgs{
 				{"fsck", []string{"-a", "/dev/foo"}, "", nil},
 				{"blkid", []string{"-p", "-s", "TYPE", "-s", "PTTYPE", "-o", "export", "/dev/foo"}, "", &fakeexec.FakeExitError{Status: 2}},
-				{"mkfs.ext4", []string{"-F", "/dev/foo"}, "", nil},
+				{"mkfs.ext4", []string{"-F", "-m0", "/dev/foo"}, "", nil},
 			},
 			expectedError: nil,
 		},
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ func TestSafeFormatAndMount(t *testing.T) {
 			execScripts: []ExecArgs{
 				{"fsck", []string{"-a", "/dev/foo"}, "", nil},
 				{"blkid", []string{"-p", "-s", "TYPE", "-s", "PTTYPE", "-o", "export", "/dev/foo"}, "", &fakeexec.FakeExitError{Status: 2}},
-				{"mkfs.ext3", []string{"-F", "/dev/foo"}, "", nil},
+				{"mkfs.ext3", []string{"-F", "-m0", "/dev/foo"}, "", nil},
 			},
 			expectedError: nil,
 		},