diff --git a/pkg/api/service/warnings.go b/pkg/api/service/warnings.go
index c99553367b7..49aa603d00b 100644
--- a/pkg/api/service/warnings.go
+++ b/pkg/api/service/warnings.go
@@ -53,6 +53,10 @@ func GetWarningsForService(service, oldService *api.Service) []string {
 		warnings = append(warnings, getWarningsForCIDR(field.NewPath("spec").Child("loadBalancerSourceRanges").Index(i), cidr)...)
 	}
 
+	if service.Spec.Type == api.ServiceTypeExternalName && len(service.Spec.ExternalIPs) > 0 {
+		warnings = append(warnings, fmt.Sprintf("spec.externalIPs is ignored when spec.type is %q", api.ServiceTypeExternalName))
+	}
+
 	return warnings
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/api/service/warnings_test.go b/pkg/api/service/warnings_test.go
index 8b48a6d0d08..58ff3ff8777 100644
--- a/pkg/api/service/warnings_test.go
+++ b/pkg/api/service/warnings_test.go
@@ -31,22 +31,26 @@ func TestGetWarningsForService(t *testing.T) {
 		name        string
 		tweakSvc    func(svc *api.Service) // Given a basic valid service, each test case can customize it.
 		numWarnings int
-	}{
-		{
-			name: "new topology mode set",
-			tweakSvc: func(s *api.Service) {
-				s.Annotations = map[string]string{api.AnnotationTopologyMode: "foo"}
-			},
-			numWarnings: 0,
+	}{{
+		name: "new topology mode set",
+		tweakSvc: func(s *api.Service) {
+			s.Annotations = map[string]string{api.AnnotationTopologyMode: "foo"}
 		},
-		{
-			name: "deprecated hints annotation set",
-			tweakSvc: func(s *api.Service) {
-				s.Annotations = map[string]string{api.DeprecatedAnnotationTopologyAwareHints: "foo"}
-			},
-			numWarnings: 1,
+		numWarnings: 0,
+	}, {
+		name: "deprecated hints annotation set",
+		tweakSvc: func(s *api.Service) {
+			s.Annotations = map[string]string{api.DeprecatedAnnotationTopologyAwareHints: "foo"}
 		},
-	}
+		numWarnings: 1,
+	}, {
+		name: "externalIPs set when type is ExternalName",
+		tweakSvc: func(s *api.Service) {
+			s.Spec.Type = api.ServiceTypeExternalName
+			s.Spec.ExternalIPs = []string{"1.2.3.4"}
+		},
+		numWarnings: 1,
+	}}
 
 	for _, tc := range testCases {
 		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {