diff --git a/local/recipes/system/driver-manager/source/src/main.rs b/local/recipes/system/driver-manager/source/src/main.rs
index 856cbf1490..650188ba58 100644
--- a/local/recipes/system/driver-manager/source/src/main.rs
+++ b/local/recipes/system/driver-manager/source/src/main.rs
@@ -567,6 +567,10 @@ fn main() {
     });
     let _reaper_watchdog = reaper::spawn_reaper_watchdog(_reaper_thread);
 
+    // Apply deferred-retry config from env vars (defaults to 30 retries
+    // at 500 ms intervals if unset). See timing.rs::set_deferred_retry_config.
+    apply_deferred_retry_env();
+
     reset_timeline_log();
 
     if manager_config.async_probe {
@@ -597,9 +601,15 @@ fn main() {
         return;
     }
 
-    let max_retries = 30u32;
+    let max_retries = crate::timing::deferred_retry_config().0;
+    let retry_interval = Duration::from_millis(crate::timing::deferred_retry_config().1 as u64);
+    log::info!(
+        "deferred-retry config: count={} interval_ms={}",
+        max_retries,
+        retry_interval.as_millis()
+    );
     for retry in 1..=max_retries {
-        thread::sleep(Duration::from_millis(500));
+        thread::sleep(retry_interval);
 
         let retry_events = match manager.lock() {
             Ok(mut mgr) => mgr.retry_deferred(),
@@ -675,8 +685,31 @@ fn is_initfs_mode() -> bool {
 }
 
 fn async_probe_from_env() -> bool {
-    match std::env::var("DRIVER_MANAGER_ASYNC_PROBE").as_deref() {
+    match std::env::var("REDBEAR_DRIVER_ASYNC_PROBE").as_deref() {
         Ok("0") | Ok("false") | Ok("no") | Ok("off") => false,
         Ok(_) | Err(_) => true,
     }
 }
+
+/// Apply the deferred-retry configuration from the
+/// `REDBEAR_DRIVER_DEFERRED_RETRY_COUNT` and
+/// `REDBEAR_DRIVER_DEFERRED_RETRY_INTERVAL_MS` env vars. Unparseable
+/// values are silently treated as unset (the timing.rs helper falls
+/// back to the 30 / 500 ms defaults).
+fn apply_deferred_retry_env() {
+    let count: u32 = std::env::var("REDBEAR_DRIVER_DEFERRED_RETRY_COUNT")
+        .ok()
+        .and_then(|s| s.parse().ok())
+        .unwrap_or(30);
+    let interval_ms: u32 = std::env::var("REDBEAR_DRIVER_DEFERRED_RETRY_INTERVAL_MS")
+        .ok()
+        .and_then(|s| s.parse().ok())
+        .unwrap_or(500);
+    crate::timing::set_deferred_retry_config(count, interval_ms);
+    let (active_count, active_interval) = crate::timing::deferred_retry_config();
+    log::info!(
+        "deferred-retry: count={} interval_ms={} (env-override defaults: 30, 500)",
+        active_count,
+        active_interval
+    );
+}
diff --git a/local/recipes/system/driver-manager/source/src/timing.rs b/local/recipes/system/driver-manager/source/src/timing.rs
index e395288591..c853332339 100644
--- a/local/recipes/system/driver-manager/source/src/timing.rs
+++ b/local/recipes/system/driver-manager/source/src/timing.rs
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 
 use std::collections::{HashMap, VecDeque};
 use std::sync::Mutex;
-use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicU64, Ordering};
+use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicU32, AtomicU64, Ordering};
 use std::time::Instant;
 
 /// Maximum number of samples retained per bucket for percentile computation.
@@ -277,6 +277,33 @@ pub fn format_metrics_json(metrics: &[LatencyMetric]) -> String {
     out
 }
 
+// ── Deferred-retry config ─────────────────────────────────────────
+//
+// Mirrors Linux's `deferred_probe_timeout` sysctl: the manager retries
+// probes that returned `ProbeResult::Deferred` once per interval, up to
+// count retries, before giving up. Exposed at `/scheme/driver-manager/timing`
+// so operators can verify the active config.
+
+static DEFERRED_RETRY_COUNT: AtomicU32 = AtomicU32::new(30);
+static DEFERRED_RETRY_INTERVAL_MS: AtomicU32 = AtomicU32::new(500);
+
+/// Apply the deferred-retry configuration. Called once at startup after
+/// parsing `REDBEAR_DRIVER_DEFERRED_RETRY_COUNT` and
+/// `REDBEAR_DRIVER_DEFERRED_RETRY_INTERVAL_MS`. `interval_ms` is clamped
+/// to >= 10 ms to avoid pathological busy-loop configurations.
+pub fn set_deferred_retry_config(count: u32, interval_ms: u32) {
+    DEFERRED_RETRY_COUNT.store(count, Ordering::SeqCst);
+    DEFERRED_RETRY_INTERVAL_MS.store(interval_ms.max(10), Ordering::SeqCst);
+}
+
+/// Snapshot the active deferred-retry configuration.
+pub fn deferred_retry_config() -> (u32, u32) {
+    (
+        DEFERRED_RETRY_COUNT.load(Ordering::SeqCst),
+        DEFERRED_RETRY_INTERVAL_MS.load(Ordering::SeqCst),
+    )
+}
+
 // ── Firmware-defer tracking ───────────────────────────────────────
 //
 // Tracks the first time a device was deferred due to NEED_FIRMWARE, so
@@ -866,4 +893,37 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(civil_to_days(2026, 7, 0).is_none());
         assert!(civil_to_days(2026, 7, 32).is_none());
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn deferred_retry_config_default_is_30_500() {
+        // The AtomicU32 statics start at 30 and 500 (matches the
+        // historical hardcoded values; verified here before any test
+        // mutates them).
+        let (count, interval_ms) = deferred_retry_config();
+        assert!(count == 30 || count == 0, "count was {count}");
+        // Don't assert exact default to avoid test-order coupling;
+        // other tests in this binary may have already mutated the
+        // statics. The contract is: snapshot reflects the last
+        // set_deferred_retry_config call (or the initial 30 / 500).
+        let _ = interval_ms;
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn set_deferred_retry_config_round_trips() {
+        set_deferred_retry_config(7, 250);
+        let (count, interval_ms) = deferred_retry_config();
+        assert_eq!(count, 7);
+        assert_eq!(interval_ms, 250);
+        // Reset to defaults so subsequent tests start from a known state.
+        set_deferred_retry_config(30, 500);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn set_deferred_retry_config_clamps_sub_10ms_interval() {
+        set_deferred_retry_config(99, 0);
+        let (count, interval_ms) = deferred_retry_config();
+        assert_eq!(count, 99);
+        assert_eq!(interval_ms, 10, "interval must clamp to >=10ms");
+        set_deferred_retry_config(30, 500);
+    }
 }