diff --git a/go/vt/tabletmanager/agent.go b/go/vt/tabletmanager/agent.go
index 968307fd343..765f8202021 100644
--- a/go/vt/tabletmanager/agent.go
+++ b/go/vt/tabletmanager/agent.go
@@ -91,6 +91,9 @@ type ActionAgent struct {
 	// the reason we're not healthy.
 	_healthy error
 
+	// this is the last time health check ran
+	_healthyTime time.Time
+
 	// replication delay the last time we got it
 	_replicationDelay time.Duration
 
@@ -247,10 +250,21 @@ func (agent *ActionAgent) Tablet() *topo.TabletInfo {
 }
 
 // Healthy reads the result of the latest healthcheck, protected by mutex.
+// If that status is too old, it means healthcheck hasn't run for a while,
+// and is probably stuck, this is not good, we're not healthy.
 func (agent *ActionAgent) Healthy() (time.Duration, error) {
 	agent.mutex.Lock()
 	defer agent.mutex.Unlock()
-	return agent._replicationDelay, agent._healthy
+
+	healthy := agent._healthy
+	if healthy == nil {
+		timeSinceLastCheck := time.Now().Sub(agent._healthyTime)
+		if timeSinceLastCheck > *healthCheckInterval*3 {
+			healthy = fmt.Errorf("last health check is too old: %s > %s", timeSinceLastCheck, *healthCheckInterval*3)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return agent._replicationDelay, healthy
 }
 
 // BlacklistedTables reads the list of blacklisted tables from the TabletControl
diff --git a/go/vt/tabletmanager/healthcheck.go b/go/vt/tabletmanager/healthcheck.go
index 5d8d676b7d3..bb602fcd4b6 100644
--- a/go/vt/tabletmanager/healthcheck.go
+++ b/go/vt/tabletmanager/healthcheck.go
@@ -228,6 +228,7 @@ func (agent *ActionAgent) runHealthCheck(targetTabletType topo.TabletType) {
 	// remember our health status
 	agent.mutex.Lock()
 	agent._healthy = err
+	agent._healthyTime = time.Now()
 	agent._replicationDelay = replicationDelay
 	agent.mutex.Unlock()
 
diff --git a/go/vt/tabletmanager/healthcheck_test.go b/go/vt/tabletmanager/healthcheck_test.go
index c38b67fb175..3bb1c33dd84 100644
--- a/go/vt/tabletmanager/healthcheck_test.go
+++ b/go/vt/tabletmanager/healthcheck_test.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"html/template"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
@@ -153,6 +154,7 @@ func TestHealthCheckControlsQueryService(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// first health check, should change us to replica, and update the
 	// mysql port to 3306
+	before := time.Now()
 	agent.runHealthCheck(targetTabletType)
 	ti, err := agent.TopoServer.GetTablet(tabletAlias)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -167,9 +169,13 @@ func TestHealthCheckControlsQueryService(t *testing.T) {
 	if !agent.QueryServiceControl.IsServing() {
 		t.Errorf("Query service should be running")
 	}
+	if agent._healthyTime.Sub(before) < 0 {
+		t.Errorf("runHealthCheck did not update agent._healthyTime")
+	}
 
 	// now make the tablet unhealthy
 	agent.HealthReporter.(*fakeHealthCheck).reportError = fmt.Errorf("tablet is unhealthy")
+	before = time.Now()
 	agent.runHealthCheck(targetTabletType)
 	ti, err = agent.TopoServer.GetTablet(tabletAlias)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -181,6 +187,9 @@ func TestHealthCheckControlsQueryService(t *testing.T) {
 	if agent.QueryServiceControl.IsServing() {
 		t.Errorf("Query service should not be running")
 	}
+	if agent._healthyTime.Sub(before) < 0 {
+		t.Errorf("runHealthCheck did not update agent._healthyTime")
+	}
 }
 
 // TestQueryServiceNotStarting verifies that if a tablet cannot start the
@@ -190,6 +199,7 @@ func TestQueryServiceNotStarting(t *testing.T) {
 	targetTabletType := topo.TYPE_REPLICA
 	agent.QueryServiceControl.(*tabletserver.TestQueryServiceControl).AllowQueriesError = fmt.Errorf("test cannot start query service")
 
+	before := time.Now()
 	agent.runHealthCheck(targetTabletType)
 	ti, err := agent.TopoServer.GetTablet(tabletAlias)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -201,6 +211,9 @@ func TestQueryServiceNotStarting(t *testing.T) {
 	if agent.QueryServiceControl.IsServing() {
 		t.Errorf("Query service should not be running")
 	}
+	if agent._healthyTime.Sub(before) < 0 {
+		t.Errorf("runHealthCheck did not update agent._healthyTime")
+	}
 }
 
 // TestQueryServiceStopped verifies that if a healthy tablet's query
@@ -210,6 +223,7 @@ func TestQueryServiceStopped(t *testing.T) {
 	targetTabletType := topo.TYPE_REPLICA
 
 	// first health check, should change us to replica
+	before := time.Now()
 	agent.runHealthCheck(targetTabletType)
 	ti, err := agent.TopoServer.GetTablet(tabletAlias)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -221,12 +235,16 @@ func TestQueryServiceStopped(t *testing.T) {
 	if !agent.QueryServiceControl.IsServing() {
 		t.Errorf("Query service should be running")
 	}
+	if agent._healthyTime.Sub(before) < 0 {
+		t.Errorf("runHealthCheck did not update agent._healthyTime")
+	}
 
 	// shut down query service and prevent it from starting again
 	agent.QueryServiceControl.DisallowQueries()
 	agent.QueryServiceControl.(*tabletserver.TestQueryServiceControl).AllowQueriesError = fmt.Errorf("test cannot start query service")
 
 	// health check should now fail
+	before = time.Now()
 	agent.runHealthCheck(targetTabletType)
 	ti, err = agent.TopoServer.GetTablet(tabletAlias)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -238,6 +256,9 @@ func TestQueryServiceStopped(t *testing.T) {
 	if agent.QueryServiceControl.IsServing() {
 		t.Errorf("Query service should not be running")
 	}
+	if agent._healthyTime.Sub(before) < 0 {
+		t.Errorf("runHealthCheck did not update agent._healthyTime")
+	}
 }
 
 // TestTabletControl verifies the shard's TabletControl record can disable
@@ -247,6 +268,7 @@ func TestTabletControl(t *testing.T) {
 	targetTabletType := topo.TYPE_REPLICA
 
 	// first health check, should change us to replica
+	before := time.Now()
 	agent.runHealthCheck(targetTabletType)
 	ti, err := agent.TopoServer.GetTablet(tabletAlias)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -258,6 +280,9 @@ func TestTabletControl(t *testing.T) {
 	if !agent.QueryServiceControl.IsServing() {
 		t.Errorf("Query service should be running")
 	}
+	if agent._healthyTime.Sub(before) < 0 {
+		t.Errorf("runHealthCheck did not update agent._healthyTime")
+	}
 
 	// now update the shard
 	si, err := agent.TopoServer.GetShard(keyspace, shard)
@@ -286,6 +311,7 @@ func TestTabletControl(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	// check running a health check will not start it again
+	before = time.Now()
 	agent.runHealthCheck(targetTabletType)
 	ti, err = agent.TopoServer.GetTablet(tabletAlias)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -297,9 +323,13 @@ func TestTabletControl(t *testing.T) {
 	if agent.QueryServiceControl.IsServing() {
 		t.Errorf("Query service should not be running")
 	}
+	if agent._healthyTime.Sub(before) < 0 {
+		t.Errorf("runHealthCheck did not update agent._healthyTime")
+	}
 
 	// go unhealthy, check we go to spare and QS is not running
 	agent.HealthReporter.(*fakeHealthCheck).reportError = fmt.Errorf("tablet is unhealthy")
+	before = time.Now()
 	agent.runHealthCheck(targetTabletType)
 	ti, err = agent.TopoServer.GetTablet(tabletAlias)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -311,9 +341,13 @@ func TestTabletControl(t *testing.T) {
 	if agent.QueryServiceControl.IsServing() {
 		t.Errorf("Query service should not be running")
 	}
+	if agent._healthyTime.Sub(before) < 0 {
+		t.Errorf("runHealthCheck did not update agent._healthyTime")
+	}
 
 	// go back healthy, check QS is still not running
 	agent.HealthReporter.(*fakeHealthCheck).reportError = nil
+	before = time.Now()
 	agent.runHealthCheck(targetTabletType)
 	ti, err = agent.TopoServer.GetTablet(tabletAlias)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -325,4 +359,33 @@ func TestTabletControl(t *testing.T) {
 	if agent.QueryServiceControl.IsServing() {
 		t.Errorf("Query service should not be running")
 	}
+	if agent._healthyTime.Sub(before) < 0 {
+		t.Errorf("runHealthCheck did not update agent._healthyTime")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestOldHealthCheck verifies that a healthcheck that is too old will
+// return an error
+func TestOldHealthCheck(t *testing.T) {
+	agent := createTestAgent(t)
+	*healthCheckInterval = 20 * time.Second
+	agent._healthy = nil
+
+	// last health check time is now, we're good
+	agent._healthyTime = time.Now()
+	if _, healthy := agent.Healthy(); healthy != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Healthy returned unexpected error: %v", healthy)
+	}
+
+	// last health check time is 2x interval ago, we're good
+	agent._healthyTime = time.Now().Add(-2 * *healthCheckInterval)
+	if _, healthy := agent.Healthy(); healthy != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Healthy returned unexpected error: %v", healthy)
+	}
+
+	// last health check time is 4x interval ago, we're not good
+	agent._healthyTime = time.Now().Add(-4 * *healthCheckInterval)
+	if _, healthy := agent.Healthy(); healthy == nil || !strings.Contains(healthy.Error(), "last health check is too old") {
+		t.Errorf("Healthy returned wrong error: %v", healthy)
+	}
 }