diff --git a/cmd/cloud-controller-manager/app/controllermanager.go b/cmd/cloud-controller-manager/app/controllermanager.go
index 988bf5edf3..01c4bfe2ba 100644
--- a/cmd/cloud-controller-manager/app/controllermanager.go
+++ b/cmd/cloud-controller-manager/app/controllermanager.go
@@ -54,7 +54,11 @@ const (
 
 // NewCloudControllerManagerCommand creates a *cobra.Command object with default parameters
 func NewCloudControllerManagerCommand() *cobra.Command {
-	s := options.NewCloudControllerManagerOptions()
+	s, err := options.NewCloudControllerManagerOptions()
+	if err != nil {
+		glog.Fatalf("unable to initialize command options: %v", err)
+	}
+
 	cmd := &cobra.Command{
 		Use: "cloud-controller-manager",
 		Long: `The Cloud controller manager is a daemon that embeds
diff --git a/cmd/cloud-controller-manager/app/options/options.go b/cmd/cloud-controller-manager/app/options/options.go
index 433d993516..5c21355589 100644
--- a/cmd/cloud-controller-manager/app/options/options.go
+++ b/cmd/cloud-controller-manager/app/options/options.go
@@ -67,8 +67,11 @@ type CloudControllerManagerOptions struct {
 }
 
 // NewCloudControllerManagerOptions creates a new ExternalCMServer with a default config.
-func NewCloudControllerManagerOptions() *CloudControllerManagerOptions {
-	componentConfig := NewDefaultComponentConfig(ports.InsecureCloudControllerManagerPort)
+func NewCloudControllerManagerOptions() (*CloudControllerManagerOptions, error) {
+	componentConfig, err := NewDefaultComponentConfig(ports.InsecureCloudControllerManagerPort)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
 
 	s := CloudControllerManagerOptions{
 		CloudProvider:    &cmoptions.CloudProviderOptions{},
@@ -96,11 +99,11 @@ func NewCloudControllerManagerOptions() *CloudControllerManagerOptions {
 	// TODO: enable HTTPS by default
 	s.SecureServing.BindPort = 0
 
-	return &s
+	return &s, nil
 }
 
 // NewDefaultComponentConfig returns cloud-controller manager configuration object.
-func NewDefaultComponentConfig(insecurePort int32) componentconfig.CloudControllerManagerConfiguration {
+func NewDefaultComponentConfig(insecurePort int32) (componentconfig.CloudControllerManagerConfiguration, error) {
 	scheme := runtime.NewScheme()
 	componentconfigv1alpha1.AddToScheme(scheme)
 	componentconfig.AddToScheme(scheme)
@@ -109,9 +112,11 @@ func NewDefaultComponentConfig(insecurePort int32) componentconfig.CloudControll
 	scheme.Default(&versioned)
 
 	internal := componentconfig.CloudControllerManagerConfiguration{}
-	scheme.Convert(&versioned, &internal, nil)
+	if err := scheme.Convert(&versioned, &internal, nil); err != nil {
+		return internal, err
+	}
 	internal.KubeCloudShared.Port = insecurePort
-	return internal
+	return internal, nil
 }
 
 // AddFlags adds flags for a specific ExternalCMServer to the specified FlagSet
diff --git a/cmd/cloud-controller-manager/app/options/options_test.go b/cmd/cloud-controller-manager/app/options/options_test.go
index fe2f62f0b3..9df6e0f216 100644
--- a/cmd/cloud-controller-manager/app/options/options_test.go
+++ b/cmd/cloud-controller-manager/app/options/options_test.go
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 func TestDefaultFlags(t *testing.T) {
-	s := NewCloudControllerManagerOptions()
+	s, _ := NewCloudControllerManagerOptions()
 
 	expected := &CloudControllerManagerOptions{
 		CloudProvider: &cmoptions.CloudProviderOptions{
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ func TestDefaultFlags(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestAddFlags(t *testing.T) {
 	f := pflag.NewFlagSet("addflagstest", pflag.ContinueOnError)
-	s := NewCloudControllerManagerOptions()
+	s, _ := NewCloudControllerManagerOptions()
 	s.AddFlags(f)
 
 	args := []string{
diff --git a/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/controllermanager.go b/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/controllermanager.go
index b03ba75667..321d6e41ba 100644
--- a/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/controllermanager.go
+++ b/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/controllermanager.go
@@ -70,7 +70,11 @@ const (
 
 // NewControllerManagerCommand creates a *cobra.Command object with default parameters
 func NewControllerManagerCommand() *cobra.Command {
-	s := options.NewKubeControllerManagerOptions()
+	s, err := options.NewKubeControllerManagerOptions()
+	if err != nil {
+		glog.Fatalf("unable to initialize command options: %v", err)
+	}
+
 	cmd := &cobra.Command{
 		Use: "kube-controller-manager",
 		Long: `The Kubernetes controller manager is a daemon that embeds
diff --git a/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/options/options.go b/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/options/options.go
index 2841dba49e..2b26024e5e 100644
--- a/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/options/options.go
+++ b/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/options/options.go
@@ -90,8 +90,12 @@ type KubeControllerManagerOptions struct {
 }
 
 // NewKubeControllerManagerOptions creates a new KubeControllerManagerOptions with a default config.
-func NewKubeControllerManagerOptions() *KubeControllerManagerOptions {
-	componentConfig := NewDefaultComponentConfig(ports.InsecureKubeControllerManagerPort)
+func NewKubeControllerManagerOptions() (*KubeControllerManagerOptions, error) {
+	componentConfig, err := NewDefaultComponentConfig(ports.InsecureKubeControllerManagerPort)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
 	s := KubeControllerManagerOptions{
 		CloudProvider:    &cmoptions.CloudProviderOptions{},
 		Debugging:        &cmoptions.DebuggingOptions{},
@@ -193,11 +197,11 @@ func NewKubeControllerManagerOptions() *KubeControllerManagerOptions {
 
 	s.GarbageCollectorController.GCIgnoredResources = gcIgnoredResources
 
-	return &s
+	return &s, nil
 }
 
 // NewDefaultComponentConfig returns kube-controller manager configuration object.
-func NewDefaultComponentConfig(insecurePort int32) componentconfig.KubeControllerManagerConfiguration {
+func NewDefaultComponentConfig(insecurePort int32) (componentconfig.KubeControllerManagerConfiguration, error) {
 	scheme := runtime.NewScheme()
 	componentconfigv1alpha1.AddToScheme(scheme)
 	componentconfig.AddToScheme(scheme)
@@ -206,9 +210,11 @@ func NewDefaultComponentConfig(insecurePort int32) componentconfig.KubeControlle
 	scheme.Default(&versioned)
 
 	internal := componentconfig.KubeControllerManagerConfiguration{}
-	scheme.Convert(&versioned, &internal, nil)
+	if err := scheme.Convert(&versioned, &internal, nil); err != nil {
+		return internal, err
+	}
 	internal.KubeCloudShared.Port = insecurePort
-	return internal
+	return internal, nil
 }
 
 // AddFlags adds flags for a specific KubeControllerManagerOptions to the specified FlagSet
diff --git a/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/options/options_test.go b/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/options/options_test.go
index 0e69b91b85..d32848ed8e 100644
--- a/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/options/options_test.go
+++ b/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/options/options_test.go
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ import (
 
 func TestAddFlags(t *testing.T) {
 	f := pflag.NewFlagSet("addflagstest", pflag.ContinueOnError)
-	s := NewKubeControllerManagerOptions()
+	s, _ := NewKubeControllerManagerOptions()
 	s.AddFlags(f, []string{""}, []string{""})
 
 	args := []string{