diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/volumemanager/populator/desired_state_of_world_populator.go b/pkg/kubelet/volumemanager/populator/desired_state_of_world_populator.go
index c6ec3e9d5ac..ac83f3c0168 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/volumemanager/populator/desired_state_of_world_populator.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/volumemanager/populator/desired_state_of_world_populator.go
@@ -505,19 +505,24 @@ func (dswp *desiredStateOfWorldPopulator) createVolumeSpec(
 			pvcSource.ClaimName,
 			pvcUID)
 
-		// TODO: remove feature gate check after no longer needed
+		// TODO: replace this with util.GetVolumeMode() when features.BlockVolume is removed.
+		// The function will return the right value then.
+		volumeMode := v1.PersistentVolumeFilesystem
+		if volumeSpec.PersistentVolume != nil && volumeSpec.PersistentVolume.Spec.VolumeMode != nil {
+			volumeMode = *volumeSpec.PersistentVolume.Spec.VolumeMode
+		}
+
+		// TODO: remove features.BlockVolume checks / comments after no longer needed
+		// Error if a container has volumeMounts but the volumeMode of PVC isn't Filesystem.
+		// Do not check feature gate here to make sure even when the feature is disabled in kubelet,
+		// because controller-manager / API server can already contain block PVs / PVCs.
+		if mounts.Has(podVolume.Name) && volumeMode != v1.PersistentVolumeFilesystem {
+			return nil, nil, "", fmt.Errorf(
+				"volume %s has volumeMode %s, but is specified in volumeMounts",
+				podVolume.Name,
+				volumeMode)
+		}
 		if utilfeature.DefaultFeatureGate.Enabled(features.BlockVolume) {
-			volumeMode, err := util.GetVolumeMode(volumeSpec)
-			if err != nil {
-				return nil, nil, "", err
-			}
-			// Error if a container has volumeMounts but the volumeMode of PVC isn't Filesystem
-			if mounts.Has(podVolume.Name) && volumeMode != v1.PersistentVolumeFilesystem {
-				return nil, nil, "", fmt.Errorf(
-					"volume %s has volumeMode %s, but is specified in volumeMounts",
-					podVolume.Name,
-					volumeMode)
-			}
 			// Error if a container has volumeDevices but the volumeMode of PVC isn't Block
 			if devices.Has(podVolume.Name) && volumeMode != v1.PersistentVolumeBlock {
 				return nil, nil, "", fmt.Errorf(
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/volumemanager/populator/desired_state_of_world_populator_test.go b/pkg/kubelet/volumemanager/populator/desired_state_of_world_populator_test.go
index 23727b18bda..c339545c932 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/volumemanager/populator/desired_state_of_world_populator_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/volumemanager/populator/desired_state_of_world_populator_test.go
@@ -389,6 +389,53 @@ func TestCreateVolumeSpec_Valid_File_VolumeMounts(t *testing.T) {
 	pvc := &v1.PersistentVolumeClaim{
 		Spec: v1.PersistentVolumeClaimSpec{
 			VolumeName: "dswp-test-volume-name",
+			VolumeMode: &mode,
+		},
+		Status: v1.PersistentVolumeClaimStatus{
+			Phase: v1.ClaimBound,
+		},
+	}
+	dswp, fakePodManager, _ := createDswpWithVolume(t, pv, pvc)
+
+	// create pod
+	containers := []v1.Container{
+		{
+			VolumeMounts: []v1.VolumeMount{
+				{
+					Name:      "dswp-test-volume-name",
+					MountPath: "/mnt",
+				},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+	pod := createPodWithVolume("dswp-test-pod", "dswp-test-volume-name", "file-bound", containers)
+
+	fakePodManager.AddPod(pod)
+	mountsMap, devicesMap := util.GetPodVolumeNames(pod)
+	_, volumeSpec, _, err :=
+		dswp.createVolumeSpec(pod.Spec.Volumes[0], pod.Name, pod.Namespace, mountsMap, devicesMap)
+
+	// Assert
+	if volumeSpec == nil || err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Failed to create volumeSpec with combination of filesystem mode and volumeMounts. err: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestCreateVolumeSpec_Valid_Nil_VolumeMounts(t *testing.T) {
+	// create dswp
+	pv := &v1.PersistentVolume{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name: "dswp-test-volume-name",
+		},
+		Spec: v1.PersistentVolumeSpec{
+			ClaimRef:   &v1.ObjectReference{Namespace: "ns", Name: "file-bound"},
+			VolumeMode: nil,
+		},
+	}
+	pvc := &v1.PersistentVolumeClaim{
+		Spec: v1.PersistentVolumeClaimSpec{
+			VolumeName: "dswp-test-volume-name",
+			VolumeMode: nil,
 		},
 		Status: v1.PersistentVolumeClaimStatus{
 			Phase: v1.ClaimBound,
@@ -567,6 +614,56 @@ func TestCreateVolumeSpec_Invalid_Block_VolumeMounts(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestCreateVolumeSpec_Invalid_Block_VolumeMounts_Disabled(t *testing.T) {
+	// Enable BlockVolume feature gate
+	defer featuregatetesting.SetFeatureGateDuringTest(t, utilfeature.DefaultFeatureGate, features.BlockVolume, false)()
+
+	// create dswp
+	mode := v1.PersistentVolumeBlock
+	pv := &v1.PersistentVolume{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name: "dswp-test-volume-name",
+		},
+		Spec: v1.PersistentVolumeSpec{
+			ClaimRef:   &v1.ObjectReference{Namespace: "ns", Name: "block-bound"},
+			VolumeMode: &mode,
+		},
+	}
+	pvc := &v1.PersistentVolumeClaim{
+		Spec: v1.PersistentVolumeClaimSpec{
+			VolumeName: "dswp-test-volume-name",
+			VolumeMode: &mode,
+		},
+		Status: v1.PersistentVolumeClaimStatus{
+			Phase: v1.ClaimBound,
+		},
+	}
+	dswp, fakePodManager, _ := createDswpWithVolume(t, pv, pvc)
+
+	// create pod
+	containers := []v1.Container{
+		{
+			VolumeMounts: []v1.VolumeMount{
+				{
+					Name:      "dswp-test-volume-name",
+					MountPath: "/mnt",
+				},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+	pod := createPodWithVolume("dswp-test-pod", "dswp-test-volume-name", "block-bound", containers)
+
+	fakePodManager.AddPod(pod)
+	mountsMap, devicesMap := util.GetPodVolumeNames(pod)
+	_, volumeSpec, _, err :=
+		dswp.createVolumeSpec(pod.Spec.Volumes[0], pod.Name, pod.Namespace, mountsMap, devicesMap)
+
+	// Assert
+	if volumeSpec != nil || err == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Unexpected volumeMode and volumeMounts/volumeDevices combination is accepted")
+	}
+}
+
 func TestCheckVolumeFSResize(t *testing.T) {
 	setCapacity := func(pv *v1.PersistentVolume, pvc *v1.PersistentVolumeClaim, capacity int) {
 		pv.Spec.Capacity = volumeCapacity(capacity)