diff --git a/cluster-autoscaler/processors/datadog/pods/filter_long_pending.go b/cluster-autoscaler/processors/datadog/pods/filter_long_pending.go
index b43b7bb537a5..ae1c14aafe7a 100644
--- a/cluster-autoscaler/processors/datadog/pods/filter_long_pending.go
+++ b/cluster-autoscaler/processors/datadog/pods/filter_long_pending.go
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@ package pods
 
 import (
 	"math/rand"
+	"os"
+	"strconv"
 	"time"
 
 	apiv1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
@@ -42,13 +44,17 @@ import (
 	klog "k8s.io/klog/v2"
 )
 
-// we won't quarantine a workload's pods until they all went
-// through (were considered for upscales) minAttempts times
-const minAttempts = 3
-
 var (
 	now              = time.Now // unit tests
 	retriesIncrement = 2 * time.Minute
+
+	// we won't quarantine a workload's pods until they all went
+	// through (were considered for upscales) minAttempts times
+	minAttempts = getEnv("QUARANTINE_MIN_ATTEMPTS", 2)
+
+	// how many multiple of coolDownDelay will "long pending"
+	// pods be delayed (at most).
+	delayFactor = getEnv("QUARANTINE_DELAY_FACTOR", 3)
 )
 
 type pendingTracker struct {
@@ -159,7 +165,8 @@ func logSkipped(ref types.UID, tracker *pendingTracker, pods []*apiv1.Pod) {
 
 func buildDeadline(attempts int, coolDownDelay time.Duration) time.Time {
 	increment := time.Duration(attempts-minAttempts) * retriesIncrement
-	delay := minDuration(increment, 2*coolDownDelay.Abs()) - jitterDuration(coolDownDelay.Abs())
+	delay := minDuration(increment, time.Duration(delayFactor)*coolDownDelay.Abs())
+	delay -= jitterDuration(coolDownDelay.Abs())
 	return now().Add(delay.Abs())
 }
 
@@ -174,3 +181,12 @@ func jitterDuration(duration time.Duration) time.Duration {
 	jitter := time.Duration(rand.Int63n(int64(duration.Abs() + 1)))
 	return jitter - duration/2
 }
+
+func getEnv(key string, fallback int) int {
+	if value, ok := os.LookupEnv(key); ok {
+		if intVal, err := strconv.Atoi(value); err == nil {
+			return intVal
+		}
+	}
+	return fallback
+}
diff --git a/cluster-autoscaler/processors/datadog/pods/filter_long_pending_test.go b/cluster-autoscaler/processors/datadog/pods/filter_long_pending_test.go
index d66ee398cca7..37ba39a7ae48 100644
--- a/cluster-autoscaler/processors/datadog/pods/filter_long_pending_test.go
+++ b/cluster-autoscaler/processors/datadog/pods/filter_long_pending_test.go
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ func TestBuildDeadline(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, test := range tests {
 		t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			now = func() time.Time { return time.Time{} }
-			maxExpected := now().Add(3 * test.coolDownDelay.Abs())
+			maxExpected := now().Add(time.Duration(delayFactor+1) * test.coolDownDelay.Abs())
 			result := buildDeadline(test.attempts, test.coolDownDelay)
 			if result.Before(now()) || result.After(maxExpected) {
 				t.Errorf("buildDeadline(%v, %v) = %v, should be in [%v-%v] range",