diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/etcd3/store.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/etcd3/store.go
index a92f27e7514..bd84f2804bb 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/etcd3/store.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/etcd3/store.go
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ func (s *store) Create(ctx context.Context, key string, obj, out runtime.Object,
 func (s *store) Delete(ctx context.Context, key string, out runtime.Object, preconditions *storage.Preconditions, validateDeletion storage.ValidateObjectFunc) error {
 	v, err := conversion.EnforcePtr(out)
 	if err != nil {
-		panic("unable to convert output object to pointer")
+		return fmt.Errorf("unable to convert output object to pointer: %v", err)
 	}
 	key = path.Join(s.pathPrefix, key)
 	return s.conditionalDelete(ctx, key, out, v, preconditions, validateDeletion)
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ func (s *store) GuaranteedUpdate(
 
 	v, err := conversion.EnforcePtr(out)
 	if err != nil {
-		panic("unable to convert output object to pointer")
+		return fmt.Errorf("unable to convert output object to pointer: %v", err)
 	}
 	key = path.Join(s.pathPrefix, key)
 
@@ -371,7 +371,7 @@ func (s *store) GetToList(ctx context.Context, key string, resourceVersion strin
 	}
 	v, err := conversion.EnforcePtr(listPtr)
 	if err != nil || v.Kind() != reflect.Slice {
-		panic("need ptr to slice")
+		return fmt.Errorf("need ptr to slice: %v", err)
 	}
 
 	key = path.Join(s.pathPrefix, key)
@@ -476,7 +476,7 @@ func (s *store) List(ctx context.Context, key, resourceVersion string, pred stor
 	}
 	v, err := conversion.EnforcePtr(listPtr)
 	if err != nil || v.Kind() != reflect.Slice {
-		panic("need ptr to slice")
+		return fmt.Errorf("need ptr to slice: %v", err)
 	}
 
 	if s.pathPrefix != "" {
@@ -742,7 +742,9 @@ func (s *store) getStateFromObject(obj runtime.Object) (*objState, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	s.versioner.UpdateObject(state.obj, uint64(rv))
+	if err := s.versioner.UpdateObject(state.obj, uint64(rv)); err != nil {
+		klog.Errorf("failed to update object version: %v", err)
+	}
 	return state, nil
 }
 
@@ -779,14 +781,16 @@ func (s *store) ttlOpts(ctx context.Context, ttl int64) ([]clientv3.OpOption, er
 // On success, objPtr would be set to the object.
 func decode(codec runtime.Codec, versioner storage.Versioner, value []byte, objPtr runtime.Object, rev int64) error {
 	if _, err := conversion.EnforcePtr(objPtr); err != nil {
-		panic("unable to convert output object to pointer")
+		return fmt.Errorf("unable to convert output object to pointer: %v", err)
 	}
 	_, _, err := codec.Decode(value, nil, objPtr)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	// being unable to set the version does not prevent the object from being extracted
-	versioner.UpdateObject(objPtr, uint64(rev))
+	if err := versioner.UpdateObject(objPtr, uint64(rev)); err != nil {
+		klog.Errorf("failed to update object version: %v", err)
+	}
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -797,7 +801,9 @@ func appendListItem(v reflect.Value, data []byte, rev uint64, pred storage.Selec
 		return err
 	}
 	// being unable to set the version does not prevent the object from being extracted
-	versioner.UpdateObject(obj, rev)
+	if err := versioner.UpdateObject(obj, rev); err != nil {
+		klog.Errorf("failed to update object version: %v", err)
+	}
 	if matched, err := pred.Matches(obj); err == nil && matched {
 		v.Set(reflect.Append(v, reflect.ValueOf(obj).Elem()))
 	}