diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_gc.go b/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_gc.go
index b139dba92726..687e86d82e12 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_gc.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_gc.go
@@ -356,9 +356,35 @@ func (cgc *containerGC) evictPodLogsDirectories(allSourcesReady bool) error {
 	logSymlinks, _ := osInterface.Glob(filepath.Join(legacyContainerLogsDir, fmt.Sprintf("*.%s", legacyLogSuffix)))
 	for _, logSymlink := range logSymlinks {
 		if _, err := osInterface.Stat(logSymlink); os.IsNotExist(err) {
+			if containerID, err := getContainerIDFromLegacyLogSymlink(logSymlink); err == nil {
+				status, err := cgc.manager.runtimeService.ContainerStatus(containerID)
+				if err != nil {
+					// TODO: we should handle container not found (i.e. container was deleted) case differently
+					// once https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/63336 is resolved
+					klog.Infof("Error getting ContainerStatus for containerID %q: %v", containerID, err)
+				} else if status.State != runtimeapi.ContainerState_CONTAINER_EXITED {
+					// Here is how container log rotation works (see containerLogManager#rotateLatestLog):
+					//
+					// 1. rename current log to rotated log file whose filename contains current timestamp (fmt.Sprintf("%s.%s", log, timestamp))
+					// 2. reopen the container log
+					// 3. if #2 fails, rename rotated log file back to container log
+					//
+					// There is small but indeterministic amount of time during which log file doesn't exist (between steps #1 and #2, between #1 and #3).
+					// Hence the symlink may be deemed unhealthy during that period.
+					// See https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/52172
+					//
+					// We only remove unhealthy symlink for dead containers
+					klog.V(5).Infof("Container %q is still running, not removing symlink %q.", containerID, logSymlink)
+					continue
+				}
+			} else {
+				klog.V(4).Infof("unable to obtain container Id: %v", err)
+			}
 			err := osInterface.Remove(logSymlink)
 			if err != nil {
 				klog.Errorf("Failed to remove container log dead symlink %q: %v", logSymlink, err)
+			} else {
+				klog.V(4).Infof("removed symlink %s", logSymlink)
 			}
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/legacy.go b/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/legacy.go
index ae208a01a200..1187123ad7fa 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/legacy.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/legacy.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ package kuberuntime
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"path"
+	"strings"
 
 	kubecontainer "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/kubelet/container"
 )
@@ -44,6 +45,25 @@ func legacyLogSymlink(containerID string, containerName, podName, podNamespace s
 		containerName, containerID)
 }
 
+// getContainerIDFromLegacyLogSymlink returns error if container Id cannot be parsed
+func getContainerIDFromLegacyLogSymlink(logSymlink string) (string, error) {
+	parts := strings.Split(logSymlink, "-")
+	if len(parts) == 0 {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("unable to find separator in %q", logSymlink)
+	}
+	containerIDWithSuffix := parts[len(parts)-1]
+	suffix := fmt.Sprintf(".%s", legacyLogSuffix)
+	if !strings.HasSuffix(containerIDWithSuffix, suffix) {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("%q doesn't end with %q", logSymlink, suffix)
+	}
+	containerIDWithoutSuffix := strings.TrimSuffix(containerIDWithSuffix, suffix)
+	// container can be retrieved with container Id as short as 6 characters
+	if len(containerIDWithoutSuffix) < 6 {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("container Id %q is too short", containerIDWithoutSuffix)
+	}
+	return containerIDWithoutSuffix, nil
+}
+
 func logSymlink(containerLogsDir, podFullName, containerName, containerID string) string {
 	suffix := fmt.Sprintf(".%s", legacyLogSuffix)
 	logPath := fmt.Sprintf("%s_%s-%s", podFullName, containerName, containerID)
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/remote/remote_runtime.go b/pkg/kubelet/remote/remote_runtime.go
index 30ee914094e2..98867b355f90 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/remote/remote_runtime.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/remote/remote_runtime.go
@@ -473,7 +473,7 @@ func (r *RemoteRuntimeService) ContainerStats(containerID string) (*runtimeapi.C
 	})
 	if err != nil {
 		if r.logReduction.ShouldMessageBePrinted(err.Error(), containerID) {
-			klog.Errorf("ContainerStatus %q from runtime service failed: %v", containerID, err)
+			klog.Errorf("ContainerStats %q from runtime service failed: %v", containerID, err)
 		}
 		return nil, err
 	}