diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/cm/dra/plugin/dra_plugin_manager.go b/pkg/kubelet/cm/dra/plugin/dra_plugin_manager.go
index 2b76d3bd348..5305546ccf9 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/cm/dra/plugin/dra_plugin_manager.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/cm/dra/plugin/dra_plugin_manager.go
@@ -62,6 +62,9 @@ type DRAPluginManager struct {
 	wipingDelay   time.Duration
 	streamHandler StreamHandler
 
+	// withIdleTimeout is only for unit testing, ignore if <= 0.
+	withIdleTimeout time.Duration
+
 	wg    sync.WaitGroup
 	mutex sync.RWMutex
 
@@ -115,7 +118,13 @@ func (m *monitoredPlugin) HandleConn(_ context.Context, stats grpcstats.ConnStat
 	case *grpcstats.ConnEnd:
 		// We have to ask for a reconnect, otherwise gRPC wouldn't try and
 		// thus we wouldn't be notified about a restart of the plugin.
-		m.conn.Connect()
+		//
+		// This must be done in a goroutine because gRPC deadlocks
+		// when called directly from inside HandleConn when a connection
+		// goes idle (and only then). It looks like cc.idlenessMgr.ExitIdleMode
+		// in Connect tries to lock a mutex that is already locked by
+		// the caller of HandleConn.
+		go m.conn.Connect()
 	default:
 		return
 	}
@@ -361,12 +370,15 @@ func (pm *DRAPluginManager) add(driverName string, endpoint string, chosenServic
 	// The gRPC connection gets created once. gRPC then connects to the gRPC server on demand.
 	target := "unix:" + endpoint
 	logger.V(4).Info("Creating new gRPC connection", "target", target)
-	conn, err := grpc.NewClient(
-		target,
+	options := []grpc.DialOption{
 		grpc.WithTransportCredentials(insecure.NewCredentials()),
 		grpc.WithChainUnaryInterceptor(newMetricsInterceptor(driverName)),
 		grpc.WithStatsHandler(mp),
-	)
+	}
+	if pm.withIdleTimeout > 0 {
+		options = append(options, grpc.WithIdleTimeout(pm.withIdleTimeout))
+	}
+	conn, err := grpc.NewClient(target, options...)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("create gRPC connection to DRA driver %s plugin at endpoint %s: %w", driverName, endpoint, err)
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/cm/dra/plugin/dra_plugin_test.go b/pkg/kubelet/cm/dra/plugin/dra_plugin_test.go
index b3af8c75b32..c8eb975b9bb 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/cm/dra/plugin/dra_plugin_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/cm/dra/plugin/dra_plugin_test.go
@@ -185,6 +185,44 @@ func TestGRPCConnIsReused(t *testing.T) {
 	require.Equal(t, 2, reusedConns[conn], "expected counter to be 2 but got %d", reusedConns[conn])
 }
 
+func TestGRPCConnUsableAfterIdle(t *testing.T) {
+	tCtx := ktesting.Init(t)
+	service := drapbv1.DRAPluginService
+	addr := path.Join(t.TempDir(), "dra.sock")
+	teardown, err := setupFakeGRPCServer(service, addr)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	defer teardown()
+
+	driverName := "dummy-driver"
+
+	// ensure the plugin we are using is registered
+	draPlugins := NewDRAPluginManager(tCtx, nil, nil, &mockStreamHandler{}, 0)
+	draPlugins.withIdleTimeout = 5 * time.Second
+	tCtx.ExpectNoError(draPlugins.add(driverName, addr, service, defaultClientCallTimeout), "add plugin")
+	plugin, err := draPlugins.GetPlugin(driverName)
+	tCtx.ExpectNoError(err, "get plugin")
+
+	// The connection doesn't really become idle because HandleConn
+	// kicks it back to ready by calling Connect. Just sleep long
+	// enough here, the code should be reached...
+	tCtx.Log("Waiting for idle timeout...")
+	time.Sleep(2 * draPlugins.withIdleTimeout)
+
+	req := &drapbv1.NodePrepareResourcesRequest{
+		Claims: []*drapbv1.Claim{
+			{
+				Namespace: "dummy-namespace",
+				UID:       "dummy-uid",
+				Name:      "dummy-claim",
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	callCtx := ktesting.WithTimeout(tCtx, 10*time.Second, "call timed out")
+	_, err = plugin.NodePrepareResources(callCtx, req)
+	tCtx.ExpectNoError(err, "NodePrepareResources")
+}
+
 func TestGetDRAPlugin(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, test := range []struct {
 		description string