diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/cm/BUILD b/pkg/kubelet/cm/BUILD
index 200b2ade67..749dd2fae1 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/cm/BUILD
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/cm/BUILD
@@ -46,7 +46,6 @@ go_library(
         "//vendor:k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/resource",
         "//vendor:k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types",
         "//vendor:k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/errors",
-        "//vendor:k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/runtime",
         "//vendor:k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/sets",
         "//vendor:k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/wait",
         "//vendor:k8s.io/client-go/tools/record",
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/cm/container_manager_linux.go b/pkg/kubelet/cm/container_manager_linux.go
index 39b377ac0f..52f9f32fc0 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/cm/container_manager_linux.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/cm/container_manager_linux.go
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/opencontainers/runc/libcontainer/configs"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/resource"
 	utilerrors "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/errors"
-	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/runtime"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/sets"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/wait"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/tools/record"
@@ -630,15 +629,25 @@ func getPidFromPidFile(pidFile string) (int, error) {
 }
 
 func getPidsForProcess(name, pidFile string) ([]int, error) {
-	if len(pidFile) > 0 {
-		if pid, err := getPidFromPidFile(pidFile); err == nil {
-			return []int{pid}, nil
-		} else {
-			// log the error and fall back to pidof
-			runtime.HandleError(err)
-		}
+	if len(pidFile) == 0 {
+		return procfs.PidOf(name)
 	}
-	return procfs.PidOf(name)
+
+	pid, err := getPidFromPidFile(pidFile)
+	if err == nil {
+		return []int{pid}, nil
+	}
+
+	// Try to lookup pid by process name
+	pids, err2 := procfs.PidOf(name)
+	if err2 == nil {
+		return pids, nil
+	}
+
+	// Return error from getPidFromPidFile since that should have worked
+	// and is the real source of the problem.
+	glog.V(4).Infof("unable to get pid from %s: %v", pidFile, err)
+	return []int{}, err
 }
 
 // Ensures that the Docker daemon is in the desired container.