diff --git a/internal/transport/http2_client.go b/internal/transport/http2_client.go
index 65b4ab2439e2..401ba881dffe 100644
--- a/internal/transport/http2_client.go
+++ b/internal/transport/http2_client.go
@@ -1485,7 +1485,7 @@ func (t *http2Client) operateHeaders(frame *http2.MetaHeadersFrame) {
 		case "grpc-status":
 			code, err := strconv.ParseInt(hf.Value, 10, 32)
 			if err != nil {
-				se := status.New(codes.Internal, fmt.Sprintf("transport: malformed grpc-status: %v", err))
+				se := status.New(codes.Unknown, fmt.Sprintf("transport: malformed grpc-status: %v", err))
 				t.closeStream(s, se.Err(), true, http2.ErrCodeProtocol, se, nil, endStream)
 				return
 			}
diff --git a/internal/transport/transport_test.go b/internal/transport/transport_test.go
index 02cea39c3f73..dce898063468 100644
--- a/internal/transport/transport_test.go
+++ b/internal/transport/transport_test.go
@@ -2681,7 +2681,7 @@ func (s) TestClientDecodeHeader(t *testing.T) {
 				},
 			},
 			wantStatus: status.New(
-				codes.Internal,
+				codes.Unknown,
 				"transport: malformed grpc-status: strconv.ParseInt: parsing \"xxxx\": invalid syntax",
 			),
 		},
@@ -2813,7 +2813,7 @@ func (s) TestClientDecodeTrailer(t *testing.T) {
 				},
 			},
 			wantEndStreamStatus: status.New(
-				codes.Internal,
+				codes.Unknown,
 				"transport: malformed grpc-status: strconv.ParseInt: parsing \"xxxx\": invalid syntax",
 			),
 		},
diff --git a/test/http_header_end2end_test.go b/test/http_header_end2end_test.go
index 595e7d9e015e..0f03f807d4f0 100644
--- a/test/http_header_end2end_test.go
+++ b/test/http_header_end2end_test.go
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ func (s) TestHTTPHeaderFrameErrorHandlingInitialHeader(t *testing.T) {
 				"content-type", "application/grpc",
 				"grpc-status", "abc",
 			},
-			errCode: codes.Internal,
+			errCode: codes.Unknown,
 		},
 		{
 			name: "Malformed grpc-tags-bin field ignores http status",