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 9bbeb9c94dd..683acfb307b 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/volumemanager/populator/desired_state_of_world_populator.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/volumemanager/populator/desired_state_of_world_populator.go
@@ -56,8 +56,8 @@ import (
 type DesiredStateOfWorldPopulator interface {
 	Run(sourcesReady config.SourcesReady, stopCh <-chan struct{})
 
-	// ReprocessPod removes the specified pod from the list of processedPods
-	// (if it exists) forcing it to be reprocessed. This is required to enable
+	// ReprocessPod sets value for the specified pod in processedPods
+	// to false, forcing it to be reprocessed. This is required to enable
 	// remounting volumes on pod updates (volumes like Downward API volumes
 	// depend on this behavior to ensure volume content is updated).
 	ReprocessPod(podName volumetypes.UniquePodName)
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ func (dswp *desiredStateOfWorldPopulator) Run(sourcesReady config.SourcesReady,
 
 func (dswp *desiredStateOfWorldPopulator) ReprocessPod(
 	podName volumetypes.UniquePodName) {
-	dswp.deleteProcessedPod(podName)
+	dswp.markPodProcessingFailed(podName)
 }
 
 func (dswp *desiredStateOfWorldPopulator) HasAddedPods() bool {
@@ -362,6 +362,12 @@ func (dswp *desiredStateOfWorldPopulator) processPodVolumes(
 		dswp.actualStateOfWorld.MarkRemountRequired(uniquePodName)
 		// Remove any stored errors for the pod, everything went well in this processPodVolumes
 		dswp.desiredStateOfWorld.PopPodErrors(uniquePodName)
+	} else if dswp.podHasBeenSeenOnce(uniquePodName) {
+		// For the Pod which has been processed at least once, even though some volumes
+		// may not have been reprocessed successfully this round, we still mark it as processed to avoid
+		// processing it at a very high frequency. The pod will be reprocessed when volume manager calls
+		// ReprocessPod() which is triggered by SyncPod.
+		dswp.markPodProcessed(uniquePodName)
 	}
 
 }
@@ -434,14 +440,32 @@ func volumeRequiresFSResize(pvc *v1.PersistentVolumeClaim, pv *v1.PersistentVolu
 }
 
 // podPreviouslyProcessed returns true if the volumes for this pod have already
-// been processed by the populator
+// been processed/reprocessed by the populator. Otherwise, the volumes for this pod need to
+// be reprocessed.
 func (dswp *desiredStateOfWorldPopulator) podPreviouslyProcessed(
 	podName volumetypes.UniquePodName) bool {
 	dswp.pods.RLock()
 	defer dswp.pods.RUnlock()
 
-	_, exists := dswp.pods.processedPods[podName]
-	return exists
+	return dswp.pods.processedPods[podName]
+}
+
+// markPodProcessingFailed marks the specified pod from processedPods as false to indicate that it failed processing
+func (dswp *desiredStateOfWorldPopulator) markPodProcessingFailed(
+	podName volumetypes.UniquePodName) {
+	dswp.pods.Lock()
+	dswp.pods.processedPods[podName] = false
+	dswp.pods.Unlock()
+}
+
+// podHasBeenSeenOnce returns true if the pod has been seen by the popoulator
+// at least once.
+func (dswp *desiredStateOfWorldPopulator) podHasBeenSeenOnce(
+	podName volumetypes.UniquePodName) bool {
+	dswp.pods.RLock()
+	_, exist := dswp.pods.processedPods[podName]
+	dswp.pods.RUnlock()
+	return exist
 }
 
 // markPodProcessed records that the volumes for the specified pod have been
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 b6889372601..a8bde8a0c37 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
@@ -47,6 +47,111 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/volume/util/types"
 )
 
+func pluginPVOmittingClient(dswp *desiredStateOfWorldPopulator) {
+	fakeClient := &fake.Clientset{}
+	fakeClient.AddReactor("get", "persistentvolumeclaims", func(action core.Action) (bool, runtime.Object, error) {
+		return false, nil, nil
+	})
+	fakeClient.AddReactor("get", "persistentvolumes", func(action core.Action) (bool, runtime.Object, error) {
+		return false, nil, nil
+	})
+	dswp.kubeClient = fakeClient
+}
+
+func prepareDswpWithVolume(t *testing.T) (*desiredStateOfWorldPopulator, kubepod.Manager) {
+	// create dswp
+	mode := v1.PersistentVolumeFilesystem
+	pv := &v1.PersistentVolume{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name: "dswp-test-volume-name",
+		},
+		Spec: v1.PersistentVolumeSpec{
+			ClaimRef:   &v1.ObjectReference{Namespace: "ns", Name: "file-bound"},
+			VolumeMode: &mode,
+		},
+	}
+	pvc := &v1.PersistentVolumeClaim{
+		Spec: v1.PersistentVolumeClaimSpec{
+			VolumeName: "dswp-test-volume-name",
+		},
+		Status: v1.PersistentVolumeClaimStatus{
+			Phase: v1.ClaimBound,
+		},
+	}
+	dswp, fakePodManager, _ := createDswpWithVolume(t, pv, pvc)
+	return dswp, fakePodManager
+}
+
+func TestFindAndAddNewPods_WithReprocessPodAndVolumeRetrievalError(t *testing.T) {
+	// create dswp
+	dswp, fakePodManager := prepareDswpWithVolume(t)
+
+	// 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)
+
+	podName := util.GetUniquePodName(pod)
+
+	dswp.findAndAddNewPods()
+
+	if !dswp.podPreviouslyProcessed(podName) {
+		t.Fatalf("Failed to record that the volumes for the specified pod: %s have been processed by the populator", podName)
+	}
+	pluginPVOmittingClient(dswp)
+
+	dswp.ReprocessPod(podName)
+	dswp.findAndAddNewPods()
+
+	if !dswp.podPreviouslyProcessed(podName) {
+		t.Fatalf("Failed to record that the volumes for the specified pod: %s have been processed by the populator", podName)
+	}
+	fakePodManager.DeletePod(pod)
+}
+
+func TestFindAndAddNewPods_WithVolumeRetrievalError(t *testing.T) {
+	// create dswp
+	dswp, fakePodManager := prepareDswpWithVolume(t)
+
+	pluginPVOmittingClient(dswp)
+
+	// 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)
+
+	podName := util.GetUniquePodName(pod)
+
+	dswp.findAndAddNewPods()
+
+	if dswp.podPreviouslyProcessed(podName) {
+		t.Fatalf("The volumes for the specified pod: %s should not have been processed by the populator", podName)
+	}
+	if dswp.podHasBeenSeenOnce(podName) {
+		t.Fatalf("The volumes for the specified pod: %s should not have been processed by the populator", podName)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestFindAndAddNewPods_FindAndRemoveDeletedPods(t *testing.T) {
 	// create dswp
 	mode := v1.PersistentVolumeFilesystem