diff --git a/drivers/watchdog/Kconfig b/drivers/watchdog/Kconfig
index 4aeb8f95beb4..cbd33321c0f8 100644
--- a/drivers/watchdog/Kconfig
+++ b/drivers/watchdog/Kconfig
@@ -1856,6 +1856,14 @@ config WATCHDOG_PRETIMEOUT_DEFAULT_GOV_NOOP
 	  governor is selected by a user, write a short message to
 	  the kernel log buffer and don't do any system changes.
 
+config WATCHDOG_PRETIMEOUT_DEFAULT_GOV_PANIC
+	bool "panic"
+	select WATCHDOG_PRETIMEOUT_GOV_PANIC
+	help
+	  Use panic watchdog pretimeout governor by default, if
+	  a watchdog pretimeout event happens, consider that
+	  a watchdog feeder is dead and reboot is unavoidable.
+
 endchoice
 
 config WATCHDOG_PRETIMEOUT_GOV_NOOP
@@ -1864,6 +1872,12 @@ config WATCHDOG_PRETIMEOUT_GOV_NOOP
 	  Noop watchdog pretimeout governor, only an informational
 	  message is added to kernel log buffer.
 
+config WATCHDOG_PRETIMEOUT_GOV_PANIC
+	tristate "Panic watchdog pretimeout governor"
+	help
+	  Panic watchdog pretimeout governor, on watchdog pretimeout
+	  event put the kernel into panic.
+
 endif # WATCHDOG_PRETIMEOUT_GOV
 
 endif # WATCHDOG
diff --git a/drivers/watchdog/Makefile b/drivers/watchdog/Makefile
index 0502a21db1db..1a34c6a96988 100644
--- a/drivers/watchdog/Makefile
+++ b/drivers/watchdog/Makefile
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ watchdog-objs	+= watchdog_core.o watchdog_dev.o
 watchdog-$(CONFIG_WATCHDOG_PRETIMEOUT_GOV)	+= watchdog_pretimeout.o
 
 obj-$(CONFIG_WATCHDOG_PRETIMEOUT_GOV_NOOP)	+= pretimeout_noop.o
+obj-$(CONFIG_WATCHDOG_PRETIMEOUT_GOV_PANIC)	+= pretimeout_panic.o
 
 # Only one watchdog can succeed. We probe the ISA/PCI/USB based
 # watchdog-cards first, then the architecture specific watchdog
diff --git a/drivers/watchdog/pretimeout_panic.c b/drivers/watchdog/pretimeout_panic.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..0c197a1c97f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/drivers/watchdog/pretimeout_panic.c
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2015-2016 Mentor Graphics
+ *
+ * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+ * the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
+ * (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ */
+
+#include <linux/kernel.h>
+#include <linux/module.h>
+#include <linux/watchdog.h>
+
+#include "watchdog_pretimeout.h"
+
+/**
+ * pretimeout_panic - Panic on watchdog pretimeout event
+ * @wdd - watchdog_device
+ *
+ * Panic, watchdog has not been fed till pretimeout event.
+ */
+static void pretimeout_panic(struct watchdog_device *wdd)
+{
+	panic("watchdog pretimeout event\n");
+}
+
+static struct watchdog_governor watchdog_gov_panic = {
+	.name		= "panic",
+	.pretimeout	= pretimeout_panic,
+};
+
+static int __init watchdog_gov_panic_register(void)
+{
+	return watchdog_register_governor(&watchdog_gov_panic);
+}
+
+static void __exit watchdog_gov_panic_unregister(void)
+{
+	watchdog_unregister_governor(&watchdog_gov_panic);
+}
+module_init(watchdog_gov_panic_register);
+module_exit(watchdog_gov_panic_unregister);
+
+MODULE_AUTHOR("Vladimir Zapolskiy <vladimir_zapolskiy@mentor.com>");
+MODULE_DESCRIPTION("Panic watchdog pretimeout governor");
+MODULE_LICENSE("GPL");
diff --git a/drivers/watchdog/watchdog_pretimeout.c b/drivers/watchdog/watchdog_pretimeout.c
index 72612255fb55..098c965f6c78 100644
--- a/drivers/watchdog/watchdog_pretimeout.c
+++ b/drivers/watchdog/watchdog_pretimeout.c
@@ -60,7 +60,8 @@ int watchdog_register_governor(struct watchdog_governor *gov)
 {
 	struct watchdog_pretimeout *p;
 
-	if (!default_gov) {
+	if (!strncmp(gov->name, WATCHDOG_PRETIMEOUT_DEFAULT_GOV,
+		     WATCHDOG_GOV_NAME_MAXLEN)) {
 		spin_lock_irq(&pretimeout_lock);
 		default_gov = gov;
 
@@ -79,9 +80,6 @@ void watchdog_unregister_governor(struct watchdog_governor *gov)
 	struct watchdog_pretimeout *p;
 
 	spin_lock_irq(&pretimeout_lock);
-	if (gov == default_gov)
-		default_gov = NULL;
-
 	list_for_each_entry(p, &pretimeout_list, entry)
 		if (p->wdd->gov == gov)
 			p->wdd->gov = default_gov;
diff --git a/drivers/watchdog/watchdog_pretimeout.h b/drivers/watchdog/watchdog_pretimeout.h
index c4b6f88dc9c9..867492aa7ea6 100644
--- a/drivers/watchdog/watchdog_pretimeout.h
+++ b/drivers/watchdog/watchdog_pretimeout.h
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ int watchdog_pretimeout_governor_get(struct watchdog_device *wdd, char *buf);
 
 #if IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_WATCHDOG_PRETIMEOUT_DEFAULT_GOV_NOOP)
 #define WATCHDOG_PRETIMEOUT_DEFAULT_GOV		"noop"
+#elif IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_WATCHDOG_PRETIMEOUT_DEFAULT_GOV_PANIC)
+#define WATCHDOG_PRETIMEOUT_DEFAULT_GOV		"panic"
 #endif
 
 #else