diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/container/runtime.go b/pkg/kubelet/container/runtime.go
index 6fa2073da49..a8a49c36756 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/container/runtime.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/container/runtime.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ package container
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
+	"reflect"
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/api"
@@ -282,6 +283,11 @@ func (p *Pod) FindContainerByName(containerName string) *Container {
 	return nil
 }
 
+// IsEmpty returns true if the pod is empty.
+func (p *Pod) IsEmpty() bool {
+	return reflect.DeepEqual(p, &Pod{})
+}
+
 // GetPodFullName returns a name that uniquely identifies a pod.
 func GetPodFullName(pod *api.Pod) string {
 	// Use underscore as the delimiter because it is not allowed in pod name
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/dockertools/manager.go b/pkg/kubelet/dockertools/manager.go
index 157a957c2f7..f1c3e8e5751 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/dockertools/manager.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/dockertools/manager.go
@@ -1006,6 +1006,10 @@ func (dm *DockerManager) ExecInContainer(containerId string, cmd []string, stdin
 	return dm.execHandler.ExecInContainer(dm.client, container, cmd, stdin, stdout, stderr, tty)
 }
 
+func noPodInfraContainerError(podName, podNamespace string) error {
+	return fmt.Errorf("cannot find pod infra container in pod %q", kubecontainer.BuildPodFullName(podName, podNamespace))
+}
+
 // PortForward executes socat in the pod's network namespace and copies
 // data between stream (representing the user's local connection on their
 // computer) and the specified port in the container.
@@ -1017,7 +1021,7 @@ func (dm *DockerManager) ExecInContainer(containerId string, cmd []string, stdin
 func (dm *DockerManager) PortForward(pod *kubecontainer.Pod, port uint16, stream io.ReadWriteCloser) error {
 	podInfraContainer := pod.FindContainerByName(PodInfraContainerName)
 	if podInfraContainer == nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("cannot find pod infra container in pod %q", kubecontainer.BuildPodFullName(pod.Name, pod.Namespace))
+		return noPodInfraContainerError(pod.Name, pod.Namespace)
 	}
 	container, err := dm.client.InspectContainer(string(podInfraContainer.ID))
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/dockertools/manager_test.go b/pkg/kubelet/dockertools/manager_test.go
index 30db5b4aca8..cb92bd5d1d8 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/dockertools/manager_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/dockertools/manager_test.go
@@ -1914,3 +1914,26 @@ func TestSyncPodEventHandlerFails(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("Wrong stopped container, expected: bar, get: %q", dockerName.ContainerName)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestPortForwardNoSuchContainer(t *testing.T) {
+	dm, _ := newTestDockerManager()
+
+	podName, podNamespace := "podName", "podNamespace"
+	err := dm.PortForward(
+		&kubecontainer.Pod{
+			ID:         "podID",
+			Name:       podName,
+			Namespace:  podNamespace,
+			Containers: nil,
+		},
+		5000,
+		nil,
+	)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("unexpected non-error")
+	}
+	expectedErr := noPodInfraContainerError(podName, podNamespace)
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(err, expectedErr) {
+		t.Fatalf("expected %v, but saw %v", expectedErr, err)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go b/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go
index bb39740833d..f2eb5eeed4f 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go
@@ -2235,6 +2235,9 @@ func (kl *Kubelet) PortForward(podFullName string, podUID types.UID, port uint16
 		return err
 	}
 	pod := kubecontainer.Pods(pods).FindPod(podFullName, podUID)
+	if pod.IsEmpty() {
+		return fmt.Errorf("pod not found (%q)", podFullName)
+	}
 	return kl.runner.PortForward(&pod, port, stream)
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/kubelet_test.go b/pkg/kubelet/kubelet_test.go
index 601b558e1dc..c1c4d0a2b35 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/kubelet_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/kubelet_test.go
@@ -934,6 +934,7 @@ func TestGetContainerInfoWithNoMatchingContainers(t *testing.T) {
 type fakeContainerCommandRunner struct {
 	Cmd    []string
 	ID     string
+	PodID  types.UID
 	E      error
 	Stdin  io.Reader
 	Stdout io.WriteCloser
@@ -960,11 +961,7 @@ func (f *fakeContainerCommandRunner) ExecInContainer(id string, cmd []string, in
 }
 
 func (f *fakeContainerCommandRunner) PortForward(pod *kubecontainer.Pod, port uint16, stream io.ReadWriteCloser) error {
-	podInfraContainer := pod.FindContainerByName(dockertools.PodInfraContainerName)
-	if podInfraContainer == nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("cannot find pod infra container in pod %q", kubecontainer.BuildPodFullName(pod.Name, pod.Namespace))
-	}
-	f.ID = string(podInfraContainer.ID)
+	f.PodID = pod.ID
 	f.Port = port
 	f.Stream = stream
 	return nil
@@ -2123,73 +2120,32 @@ func TestPortForwardNoSuchPod(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestPortForwardNoSuchContainer(t *testing.T) {
+func TestPortForward(t *testing.T) {
 	testKubelet := newTestKubeletWithFakeRuntime(t)
 	kubelet := testKubelet.kubelet
 	fakeRuntime := testKubelet.fakeRuntime
-	fakeCommandRunner := fakeContainerCommandRunner{}
-	kubelet.runner = &fakeCommandRunner
 
 	podName := "podFoo"
 	podNamespace := "nsFoo"
-	var port uint16 = 5000
-
+	podID := types.UID("12345678")
 	fakeRuntime.PodList = []*kubecontainer.Pod{
 		{
-			ID:        "12345678",
+			ID:        podID,
 			Name:      podName,
 			Namespace: podNamespace,
 			Containers: []*kubecontainer.Container{
-				{Name: "bar",
-					ID: "barID"},
+				{
+					Name: "foo",
+					ID:   "containerFoo",
+				},
 			},
 		},
 	}
-
-	err := kubelet.PortForward(
-		kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(&api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
-			UID:       "12345678",
-			Name:      podName,
-			Namespace: podNamespace,
-		}}),
-		"",
-		port,
-		nil,
-	)
-	if err == nil {
-		t.Fatal("unexpected non-error")
-	}
-	if fakeCommandRunner.ID != "" {
-		t.Fatal("unexpected invocation of runner.PortForward")
-	}
-}
-
-func TestPortForward(t *testing.T) {
 	fakeCommandRunner := fakeContainerCommandRunner{}
-	testKubelet := newTestKubelet(t)
-	kubelet := testKubelet.kubelet
-	fakeDocker := testKubelet.fakeDocker
 	kubelet.runner = &fakeCommandRunner
 
-	podName := "podFoo"
-	podNamespace := "nsFoo"
-	containerID := "containerFoo"
 	var port uint16 = 5000
 	stream := &fakeReadWriteCloser{}
-
-	infraContainerID := "infra"
-
-	fakeDocker.ContainerList = []docker.APIContainers{
-		{
-			ID:    infraContainerID,
-			Names: []string{"/k8s_POD" + "_" + podName + "_" + podNamespace + "_12345678_42"},
-		},
-		{
-			ID:    containerID,
-			Names: []string{"/k8s_" + containerID + "_" + podName + "_" + podNamespace + "_12345678_42"},
-		},
-	}
-
 	err := kubelet.PortForward(
 		kubecontainer.GetPodFullName(&api.Pod{ObjectMeta: api.ObjectMeta{
 			UID:       "12345678",
@@ -2203,7 +2159,7 @@ func TestPortForward(t *testing.T) {
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %s", err)
 	}
-	if e, a := infraContainerID, fakeCommandRunner.ID; e != a {
+	if e, a := podID, fakeCommandRunner.PodID; e != a {
 		t.Fatalf("container id: expected %q, got %q", e, a)
 	}
 	if e, a := port, fakeCommandRunner.Port; e != a {