diff --git a/pkg/azurelustre/azurelustre.go b/pkg/azurelustre/azurelustre.go
index 77aa20e70..0da84e72b 100644
--- a/pkg/azurelustre/azurelustre.go
+++ b/pkg/azurelustre/azurelustre.go
@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ type Driver struct {
 	// enableAzureLustreMockMount is only for testing, DO NOT set as true in non-testing scenario
 	enableAzureLustreMockMount bool
 	mounter                    *mount.SafeFormatAndMount // TODO_JUSJIN: check any other alternatives
+	forceMounter               *mount.MounterForceUnmounter
 	volLockMap                 *util.LockMap
 	// Directory to temporarily mount to for subdirectory creation
 	workingMountDir string
@@ -132,6 +133,13 @@ func (d *Driver) Run(endpoint string, testBool bool) {
 		Interface: mount.New(""),
 		Exec:      utilexec.New(),
 	}
+	forceUnmounter, ok := d.mounter.Interface.(mount.MounterForceUnmounter)
+	if ok {
+		klog.V(4).Infof("Using force unmounter interface")
+		d.forceMounter = &forceUnmounter
+	} else {
+		klog.Fatalf("Mounter does not support force unmount")
+	}
 
 	// TODO_JUSJIN: revisit these caps
 	// Initialize default library driver
diff --git a/pkg/azurelustre/fake_mount.go b/pkg/azurelustre/fake_mount.go
index 912ed4602..b13321b18 100644
--- a/pkg/azurelustre/fake_mount.go
+++ b/pkg/azurelustre/fake_mount.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ package azurelustre
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
+	"time"
 
 	mount "k8s.io/mount-utils"
 )
@@ -69,3 +70,7 @@ func (f *fakeMounter) IsLikelyNotMountPoint(file string) (bool, error) {
 	}
 	return true, nil
 }
+
+func (f *fakeMounter) UnmountWithForce(target string, _ time.Duration) error {
+	return f.Unmount(target)
+}
diff --git a/pkg/azurelustre/nodeserver.go b/pkg/azurelustre/nodeserver.go
index 1d5519486..493b0d8a5 100644
--- a/pkg/azurelustre/nodeserver.go
+++ b/pkg/azurelustre/nodeserver.go
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/container-storage-interface/spec/lib/go/csi"
 	"golang.org/x/net/context"
@@ -317,10 +318,44 @@ func (d *Driver) NodeUnpublishVolume(
 }
 
 func unmountVolumeAtPath(d *Driver, targetPath string) error {
+	shouldUnmountBadPath := false
+
 	d.kernelModuleLock.Lock()
 	defer d.kernelModuleLock.Unlock()
-	err := mount.CleanupMountPoint(targetPath, d.mounter,
-		true /*extensiveMountPointCheck*/)
+
+	parent := filepath.Dir(targetPath)
+	klog.V(2).Infof("Listing dir: %s", parent)
+	entries, err := os.ReadDir(parent)
+	if err != nil {
+		klog.Warningf("could not list directory %s, will explicitly unmount path before cleanup %s: %q", parent, targetPath, err)
+		shouldUnmountBadPath = true
+	}
+
+	for _, e := range entries {
+		if e.Name() == filepath.Base(targetPath) {
+			_, err := e.Info()
+			if err != nil {
+				klog.Warningf("could not get info for entry %s, will explicitly unmount path before cleanup %s: %q", e.Name(), targetPath, err)
+				shouldUnmountBadPath = true
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	if shouldUnmountBadPath {
+		// In these cases, if we only ran mount.CleanupMountWithForce,
+		// it would have issues trying to stat the directory before
+		// cleanup, so we need to explicitly unmount the path, with
+		// force if necessary. Then the directory can be cleaned up
+		// by the mount.CleanupMountWithForce call.
+		klog.V(4).Infof("unmounting bad mount: %s)", targetPath)
+		forceUnmounter := *d.forceMounter
+		if err := forceUnmounter.UnmountWithForce(targetPath, 30*time.Second); err != nil {
+			klog.Warningf("couldn't unmount %s: %q", targetPath, err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	err = mount.CleanupMountWithForce(targetPath, *d.forceMounter,
+		true /*extensiveMountPointCheck*/, 10*time.Second)
 	return err
 }
 
@@ -653,7 +688,7 @@ func (d *Driver) internalUnmount(mountPath string) error {
 
 	klog.V(4).Infof("internally unmounting %v", target)
 
-	err = mount.CleanupMountPoint(target, d.mounter, true)
+	err = mount.CleanupMountWithForce(target, *d.forceMounter, true, 10*time.Second)
 	if err != nil {
 		err = status.Errorf(codes.Internal, "failed to unmount staging target %q: %v", target, err)
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/azurelustre/nodeserver_test.go b/pkg/azurelustre/nodeserver_test.go
index 028f4ed85..4511f0228 100644
--- a/pkg/azurelustre/nodeserver_test.go
+++ b/pkg/azurelustre/nodeserver_test.go
@@ -115,6 +115,9 @@ func TestEnsureMountPoint(t *testing.T) {
 		Interface: fakeMounter,
 		Exec:      fakeExec,
 	}
+	forceMounter, ok := d.mounter.Interface.(mount.MounterForceUnmounter)
+	require.True(t, ok, "Mounter should implement MounterForceUnmounter")
+	d.forceMounter = &forceMounter
 
 	for _, test := range tests {
 		err := makeDir(alreadyExistTarget)
@@ -542,6 +545,9 @@ func TestNodePublishVolume(t *testing.T) {
 			Interface: fakeMounter,
 			Exec:      fakeExec,
 		}
+		forceMounter, ok := d.mounter.Interface.(mount.MounterForceUnmounter)
+		require.True(t, ok, "Mounter should implement MounterForceUnmounter")
+		d.forceMounter = &forceMounter
 		d.workingMountDir = workingMountDir
 		err := makeDir(targetTest)
 		require.NoError(t, err)
@@ -736,6 +742,9 @@ func TestNodeUnpublishVolume(t *testing.T) {
 			Interface: fakeMounter,
 			Exec:      fakeExec,
 		}
+		forceMounter, ok := d.mounter.Interface.(mount.MounterForceUnmounter)
+		require.True(t, ok, "Mounter should implement MounterForceUnmounter")
+		d.forceMounter = &forceMounter
 		err := makeDir(targetTest)
 		require.NoError(t, err)