diff --git a/compute/metadata/metadata.go b/compute/metadata/metadata.go
index 545bd9d379c..646950811c2 100644
--- a/compute/metadata/metadata.go
+++ b/compute/metadata/metadata.go
@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"time"
+
+	"github.com/googleapis/gax-go/v2"
 )
 
 const (
@@ -282,6 +284,7 @@ func NewClient(c *http.Client) *Client {
 // getETag returns a value from the metadata service as well as the associated ETag.
 // This func is otherwise equivalent to Get.
 func (c *Client) getETag(suffix string) (value, etag string, err error) {
+	ctx := context.TODO()
 	// Using a fixed IP makes it very difficult to spoof the metadata service in
 	// a container, which is an important use-case for local testing of cloud
 	// deployments. To enable spoofing of the metadata service, the environment
@@ -304,8 +307,20 @@ func (c *Client) getETag(suffix string) (value, etag string, err error) {
 	}
 	req.Header.Set("Metadata-Flavor", "Google")
 	req.Header.Set("User-Agent", userAgent)
-	res, err := c.hc.Do(req)
-	if err != nil {
+	var res *http.Response
+	retryer := newRetryer()
+	for {
+		var err error
+		res, err = c.hc.Do(req)
+		if err == nil {
+			break
+		}
+		if delay, shouldRetry := retryer.Retry(res.StatusCode, err); shouldRetry {
+			if err := gax.Sleep(ctx, delay); err != nil {
+				return "", "", err
+			}
+			continue
+		}
 		return "", "", err
 	}
 	defer res.Body.Close()
diff --git a/compute/metadata/retry.go b/compute/metadata/retry.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..e290452234e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compute/metadata/retry.go
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+// Copyright 2021 Google LLC
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package metadata
+
+import (
+	"io"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/googleapis/gax-go/v2"
+)
+
+const (
+	maxRetryAttempts = 5
+)
+
+var (
+	syscallRetryable = func(err error) bool { return false }
+)
+
+func newRetryer() *metadataRetryer {
+	return &metadataRetryer{bo: &gax.Backoff{Initial: 100 * time.Millisecond}}
+}
+
+type backoff interface {
+	Pause() time.Duration
+}
+
+type metadataRetryer struct {
+	bo       backoff
+	attempts int
+}
+
+func (r *metadataRetryer) Retry(status int, err error) (time.Duration, bool) {
+	retryOk := shouldRetry(status, err)
+	if !retryOk {
+		return 0, false
+	}
+	if r.attempts == maxRetryAttempts {
+		return 0, false
+	}
+	r.attempts++
+	return r.bo.Pause(), true
+}
+
+func shouldRetry(status int, err error) bool {
+	if 500 <= status && status <= 599 {
+		return true
+	}
+	if err == io.ErrUnexpectedEOF {
+		return true
+	}
+	// Transient network errors should be retried.
+	if syscallRetryable(err) {
+		return true
+	}
+	if err, ok := err.(interface{ Temporary() bool }); ok {
+		if err.Temporary() {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	if err, ok := err.(interface{ Unwrap() error }); ok {
+		return shouldRetry(status, err.Unwrap())
+	}
+	return false
+}
diff --git a/compute/metadata/retry_linux.go b/compute/metadata/retry_linux.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6e90cb85ba7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compute/metadata/retry_linux.go
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+// Copyright 2021 Google LLC
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+// +build linux
+
+package metadata
+
+import "syscall"
+
+func init() {
+	// Initialize syscallRetryable to return true on transient socket-level
+	// errors. These errors are specific to Linux.
+	syscallRetryable = func(err error) bool { return err == syscall.ECONNRESET || err == syscall.ECONNREFUSED }
+}
diff --git a/compute/metadata/retry_linux_test.go b/compute/metadata/retry_linux_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a046c697357
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compute/metadata/retry_linux_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+// Copyright 2021 Google LLC
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+// +build linux
+
+package metadata
+
+import (
+	"syscall"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestMetadataRetryerLinux(t *testing.T) {
+	retryer := metadataRetryer{bo: constantBackoff{}}
+
+	t.Run("retry on syscall.ECONNRESET", func(t *testing.T) {
+		_, shouldRetry := retryer.Retry(400, syscall.ECONNRESET)
+		if !shouldRetry {
+			t.Fatal("retryer.Retry(400, syscall.ECONNRESET) = false, want true")
+		}
+	})
+	t.Run("retry on syscall.ECONNREFUSED", func(t *testing.T) {
+		_, shouldRetry := retryer.Retry(400, syscall.ECONNREFUSED)
+		if !shouldRetry {
+			t.Fatal("retryer.Retry(400, syscall.ECONNREFUSED) = false, want true")
+		}
+	})
+}
diff --git a/compute/metadata/retry_test.go b/compute/metadata/retry_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..5908ea07933
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compute/metadata/retry_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+// Copyright 2021 Google LLC
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package metadata
+
+import (
+	"io"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+type constantBackoff struct{}
+
+func (b constantBackoff) Pause() time.Duration { return 100 }
+
+type errTemp struct{}
+
+func (e errTemp) Error() string { return "temporary error" }
+
+func (e errTemp) Temporary() bool { return true }
+
+type errWrapped struct {
+	e error
+}
+
+func (e errWrapped) Error() string { return "unwrap me to get more context" }
+
+func (e errWrapped) Unwrap() error { return e.e }
+
+func TestMetadataRetryer(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name            string
+		code            int
+		err             error
+		wantDelay       time.Duration
+		wantShouldRetry bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name:            "retry on 500",
+			code:            500,
+			wantDelay:       100,
+			wantShouldRetry: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:            "don't retry on 400",
+			code:            400,
+			err:             io.EOF,
+			wantDelay:       0,
+			wantShouldRetry: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:            "retry on io.ErrUnexpectedEOF",
+			code:            400,
+			err:             io.ErrUnexpectedEOF,
+			wantDelay:       100,
+			wantShouldRetry: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:            "retry on temporary error",
+			code:            400,
+			err:             errTemp{},
+			wantDelay:       100,
+			wantShouldRetry: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:            "retry on wrapped temporary error",
+			code:            400,
+			err:             errWrapped{errTemp{}},
+			wantDelay:       100,
+			wantShouldRetry: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:            "don't retry on wrapped io.EOF",
+			code:            400,
+			err:             errWrapped{io.EOF},
+			wantDelay:       0,
+			wantShouldRetry: false,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			retryer := metadataRetryer{bo: constantBackoff{}}
+			delay, shouldRetry := retryer.Retry(tc.code, tc.err)
+			if delay != tc.wantDelay {
+				t.Fatalf("retryer.Retry(%v, %v) = %v, want %v", tc.code, tc.err, delay, tc.wantDelay)
+			}
+			if shouldRetry != tc.wantShouldRetry {
+				t.Fatalf("retryer.Retry(%v, %v) = %v, want %v", tc.code, tc.err, shouldRetry, tc.wantShouldRetry)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestMetadataRetryerAttempts(t *testing.T) {
+	retryer := metadataRetryer{bo: constantBackoff{}}
+	for i := 1; i <= 6; i++ {
+		_, shouldRetry := retryer.Retry(500, nil)
+		if i == 6 {
+			if shouldRetry {
+				t.Fatal("an error should only be retried 5 times")
+			}
+			break
+		}
+		if !shouldRetry {
+			t.Fatalf("retryer.Retry(500, nil) = false, want true")
+		}
+	}
+}