diff --git a/pkg/api/v1/conversion.go b/pkg/api/v1/conversion.go
index 160b063b010..de01ce0189a 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1/conversion.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1/conversion.go
@@ -493,6 +493,12 @@ func Convert_v1_PodTemplateSpec_To_api_PodTemplateSpec(in *PodTemplateSpec, out
 		// taking responsibility to ensure mutation of in is not exposed
 		// back to the caller.
 		in.Spec.InitContainers = values
+
+		// Call defaulters explicitly until annotations are removed
+		for i := range in.Spec.InitContainers {
+			c := &in.Spec.InitContainers[i]
+			SetDefaults_Container(c)
+		}
 	}
 
 	if err := autoConvert_v1_PodTemplateSpec_To_api_PodTemplateSpec(in, out, s); err != nil {
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1/defaults.go b/pkg/api/v1/defaults.go
index 89412479061..fbc5872c46b 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1/defaults.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1/defaults.go
@@ -112,7 +112,6 @@ func SetDefaults_Container(obj *Container) {
 		_, tag, _, _ := parsers.ParseImageName(obj.Image)
 
 		// Check image tag
-
 		if tag == "latest" {
 			obj.ImagePullPolicy = PullAlways
 		} else {
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1/defaults_test.go b/pkg/api/v1/defaults_test.go
index bcc1de67301..909ea68b3a7 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1/defaults_test.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1/defaults_test.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ limitations under the License.
 package v1_test
 
 import (
+	"encoding/json"
 	"reflect"
 	"testing"
 
@@ -230,6 +231,72 @@ func TestSetDefaultReplicationControllerReplicas(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestSetDefaultReplicationControllerImagePullPolicy(t *testing.T) {
+	containersWithoutPullPolicy, _ := json.Marshal([]map[string]interface{}{
+		{
+			"name":  "install",
+			"image": "busybox:latest",
+		},
+	})
+
+	containersWithPullPolicy, _ := json.Marshal([]map[string]interface{}{
+		{
+			"name":            "install",
+			"imagePullPolicy": "IfNotPresent",
+		},
+	})
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		rc               versioned.ReplicationController
+		expectPullPolicy versioned.PullPolicy
+	}{
+		{
+			rc: versioned.ReplicationController{
+				Spec: versioned.ReplicationControllerSpec{
+					Template: &versioned.PodTemplateSpec{
+						ObjectMeta: versioned.ObjectMeta{
+							Annotations: map[string]string{
+								"pod.beta.kubernetes.io/init-containers": string(containersWithoutPullPolicy),
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectPullPolicy: versioned.PullAlways,
+		},
+		{
+			rc: versioned.ReplicationController{
+				Spec: versioned.ReplicationControllerSpec{
+					Template: &versioned.PodTemplateSpec{
+						ObjectMeta: versioned.ObjectMeta{
+							Annotations: map[string]string{
+								"pod.beta.kubernetes.io/init-containers": string(containersWithPullPolicy),
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectPullPolicy: versioned.PullIfNotPresent,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, test := range tests {
+		rc := &test.rc
+		obj2 := roundTrip(t, runtime.Object(rc))
+		rc2, ok := obj2.(*versioned.ReplicationController)
+		if !ok {
+			t.Errorf("unexpected object: %v", rc2)
+			t.FailNow()
+		}
+		if test.expectPullPolicy != rc2.Spec.Template.Spec.InitContainers[0].ImagePullPolicy {
+			t.Errorf("expected ImagePullPolicy: %s, got: %s",
+				test.expectPullPolicy,
+				rc2.Spec.Template.Spec.InitContainers[0].ImagePullPolicy,
+			)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestSetDefaultService(t *testing.T) {
 	svc := &versioned.Service{}
 	obj2 := roundTrip(t, runtime.Object(svc))