diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/fake_kuberuntime_manager.go b/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/fake_kuberuntime_manager.go
index a7190df20876..bf6cec514eae 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/fake_kuberuntime_manager.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/fake_kuberuntime_manager.go
@@ -101,7 +101,9 @@ func newFakeKubeRuntimeManager(runtimeService internalapi.RuntimeService, imageS
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	kubeRuntimeManager.containerGC = newContainerGC(runtimeService, newFakePodStateProvider(), kubeRuntimeManager)
+	podStateProvider := newFakePodStateProvider()
+	kubeRuntimeManager.containerGC = newContainerGC(runtimeService, podStateProvider, kubeRuntimeManager)
+	kubeRuntimeManager.podStateProvider = podStateProvider
 	kubeRuntimeManager.runtimeName = typedVersion.RuntimeName
 	kubeRuntimeManager.imagePuller = images.NewImageManager(
 		kubecontainer.FilterEventRecorder(recorder),
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_manager.go b/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_manager.go
index 6cd9faa9b99e..c1fb52bba4b9 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_manager.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_manager.go
@@ -137,6 +137,9 @@ type kubeGenericRuntimeManager struct {
 
 	// Cache last per-container error message to reduce log spam
 	logReduction *logreduction.LogReduction
+
+	// PodState provider instance
+	podStateProvider podStateProvider
 }
 
 // KubeGenericRuntime is a interface contains interfaces for container runtime and command.
@@ -248,6 +251,7 @@ func NewKubeGenericRuntimeManager(
 		imagePullBurst)
 	kubeRuntimeManager.runner = lifecycle.NewHandlerRunner(httpClient, kubeRuntimeManager, kubeRuntimeManager)
 	kubeRuntimeManager.containerGC = newContainerGC(runtimeService, podStateProvider, kubeRuntimeManager)
+	kubeRuntimeManager.podStateProvider = podStateProvider
 
 	kubeRuntimeManager.versionCache = cache.NewObjectCache(
 		func() (interface{}, error) {
@@ -751,6 +755,14 @@ func (m *kubeGenericRuntimeManager) SyncPod(pod *v1.Pod, podStatus *kubecontaine
 		result.AddSyncResult(createSandboxResult)
 		podSandboxID, msg, err = m.createPodSandbox(pod, podContainerChanges.Attempt)
 		if err != nil {
+			// createPodSandbox can return an error from CNI, CSI,
+			// or CRI if the Pod has been deleted while the POD is
+			// being created. If the pod has been deleted then it's
+			// not a real error.
+			if m.podStateProvider.IsPodDeleted(pod.UID) {
+				klog.V(4).Infof("Pod %q was deleted and sandbox failed to be created: %v", format.Pod(pod), pod.UID)
+				return
+			}
 			createSandboxResult.Fail(kubecontainer.ErrCreatePodSandbox, msg)
 			klog.Errorf("createPodSandbox for pod %q failed: %v", format.Pod(pod), err)
 			ref, referr := ref.GetReference(legacyscheme.Scheme, pod)
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_manager_test.go b/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_manager_test.go
index 64095cad770c..7af16beb85af 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_manager_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_manager_test.go
@@ -1372,6 +1372,41 @@ func TestComputePodActionsWithInitAndEphemeralContainers(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestSyncPodWithSandboxAndDeletedPod(t *testing.T) {
+	fakeRuntime, _, m, err := createTestRuntimeManager()
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	fakeRuntime.ErrorOnSandboxCreate = true
+
+	containers := []v1.Container{
+		{
+			Name:            "foo1",
+			Image:           "busybox",
+			ImagePullPolicy: v1.PullIfNotPresent,
+		},
+	}
+	pod := &v1.Pod{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			UID:       "12345678",
+			Name:      "foo",
+			Namespace: "new",
+		},
+		Spec: v1.PodSpec{
+			Containers: containers,
+		},
+	}
+
+	backOff := flowcontrol.NewBackOff(time.Second, time.Minute)
+
+	// GetPodStatus and the following SyncPod will not return errors in the
+	// case where the pod has been deleted. We are not adding any pods into
+	// the fakePodProvider so they are 'deleted'.
+	podStatus, err := m.GetPodStatus(pod.UID, pod.Name, pod.Namespace)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	result := m.SyncPod(pod, podStatus, []v1.Secret{}, backOff)
+	// This will return an error if the pod has _not_ been deleted.
+	assert.NoError(t, result.Error())
+}
+
 func makeBasePodAndStatusWithInitAndEphemeralContainers() (*v1.Pod, *kubecontainer.PodStatus) {
 	pod, status := makeBasePodAndStatus()
 	pod.Spec.InitContainers = []v1.Container{
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/cri-api/pkg/apis/testing/fake_runtime_service.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/cri-api/pkg/apis/testing/fake_runtime_service.go
index 008e95a37d4a..dff770f4af5f 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/cri-api/pkg/apis/testing/fake_runtime_service.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/cri-api/pkg/apis/testing/fake_runtime_service.go
@@ -67,6 +67,8 @@ type FakeRuntimeService struct {
 	Containers         map[string]*FakeContainer
 	Sandboxes          map[string]*FakePodSandbox
 	FakeContainerStats map[string]*runtimeapi.ContainerStats
+
+	ErrorOnSandboxCreate bool
 }
 
 // GetContainerID returns the unique container ID from the FakeRuntimeService.
@@ -198,6 +200,10 @@ func (r *FakeRuntimeService) RunPodSandbox(config *runtimeapi.PodSandboxConfig,
 		return "", err
 	}
 
+	if r.ErrorOnSandboxCreate {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("error on sandbox create")
+	}
+
 	// PodSandboxID should be randomized for real container runtime, but here just use
 	// fixed name from BuildSandboxName() for easily making fake sandboxes.
 	podSandboxID := BuildSandboxName(config.Metadata)