diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/mount-utils/mount_linux.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/mount-utils/mount_linux.go
index 0f8bf1ac1bf..86323b71234 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/mount-utils/mount_linux.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/mount-utils/mount_linux.go
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ const (
 type Mounter struct {
 	mounterPath                string
 	withSystemd                *bool
+	trySystemd                 bool
 	withSafeNotMountedBehavior bool
 }
 
@@ -73,6 +74,19 @@ var _ MounterForceUnmounter = &Mounter{}
 func New(mounterPath string) Interface {
 	return &Mounter{
 		mounterPath:                mounterPath,
+		trySystemd:                 true,
+		withSafeNotMountedBehavior: detectSafeNotMountedBehavior(),
+	}
+}
+
+// NewWithoutSystemd returns a Linux specific mount.Interface for the current
+// system. It provides options to override the default mounter behavior.
+// mounterPath allows using an alternative to `/bin/mount` for mounting. Any
+// detection for systemd functionality is disabled with this Mounter.
+func NewWithoutSystemd(mounterPath string) Interface {
+	return &Mounter{
+		mounterPath:                mounterPath,
+		trySystemd:                 false,
 		withSafeNotMountedBehavior: detectSafeNotMountedBehavior(),
 	}
 }
@@ -80,6 +94,10 @@ func New(mounterPath string) Interface {
 // hasSystemd validates that the withSystemd bool is set, if it is not,
 // detectSystemd will be called once for this Mounter instance.
 func (mounter *Mounter) hasSystemd() bool {
+	if !mounter.trySystemd {
+		mounter.withSystemd = &mounter.trySystemd
+	}
+
 	if mounter.withSystemd == nil {
 		withSystemd := detectSystemd()
 		mounter.withSystemd = &withSystemd
@@ -108,11 +126,11 @@ func (mounter *Mounter) MountSensitive(source string, target string, fstype stri
 	mounterPath := ""
 	bind, bindOpts, bindRemountOpts, bindRemountOptsSensitive := MakeBindOptsSensitive(options, sensitiveOptions)
 	if bind {
-		err := mounter.doMount(mounterPath, defaultMountCommand, source, target, fstype, bindOpts, bindRemountOptsSensitive, nil /* mountFlags */, true)
+		err := mounter.doMount(mounterPath, defaultMountCommand, source, target, fstype, bindOpts, bindRemountOptsSensitive, nil /* mountFlags */, mounter.trySystemd)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		return mounter.doMount(mounterPath, defaultMountCommand, source, target, fstype, bindRemountOpts, bindRemountOptsSensitive, nil /* mountFlags */, true)
+		return mounter.doMount(mounterPath, defaultMountCommand, source, target, fstype, bindRemountOpts, bindRemountOptsSensitive, nil /* mountFlags */, mounter.trySystemd)
 	}
 	// The list of filesystems that require containerized mounter on GCI image cluster
 	fsTypesNeedMounter := map[string]struct{}{
@@ -124,7 +142,7 @@ func (mounter *Mounter) MountSensitive(source string, target string, fstype stri
 	if _, ok := fsTypesNeedMounter[fstype]; ok {
 		mounterPath = mounter.mounterPath
 	}
-	return mounter.doMount(mounterPath, defaultMountCommand, source, target, fstype, options, sensitiveOptions, nil /* mountFlags */, true)
+	return mounter.doMount(mounterPath, defaultMountCommand, source, target, fstype, options, sensitiveOptions, nil /* mountFlags */, mounter.trySystemd)
 }
 
 // MountSensitiveWithoutSystemd is the same as MountSensitive() but disable using systemd mount.
@@ -167,7 +185,7 @@ func (mounter *Mounter) doMount(mounterPath string, mountCmd string, source stri
 		mountCmd = mounterPath
 	}
 
-	if mounter.hasSystemd() && systemdMountRequired {
+	if systemdMountRequired && mounter.hasSystemd() {
 		// Try to run mount via systemd-run --scope. This will escape the
 		// service where kubelet runs and any fuse daemons will be started in a
 		// specific scope. kubelet service than can be restarted without killing