diff --git a/sys/cam/scsi/scsi_cd.c b/sys/cam/scsi/scsi_cd.c
index 383d70319848..8eb353753aa8 100644
--- a/sys/cam/scsi/scsi_cd.c
+++ b/sys/cam/scsi/scsi_cd.c
@@ -292,6 +292,9 @@ static struct periph_driver cddriver =
 
 PERIPHDRIVER_DECLARE(cd, cddriver);
 
+#ifndef	CD_DEFAULT_RETRY
+#define	CD_DEFAULT_RETRY	4
+#endif
 #ifndef CHANGER_MIN_BUSY_SECONDS
 #define CHANGER_MIN_BUSY_SECONDS	5
 #endif
@@ -299,11 +302,15 @@ PERIPHDRIVER_DECLARE(cd, cddriver);
 #define CHANGER_MAX_BUSY_SECONDS	15
 #endif
 
+static int cd_retry_count = CD_DEFAULT_RETRY;
 static int changer_min_busy_seconds = CHANGER_MIN_BUSY_SECONDS;
 static int changer_max_busy_seconds = CHANGER_MAX_BUSY_SECONDS;
 
 SYSCTL_NODE(_kern_cam, OID_AUTO, cd, CTLFLAG_RD, 0, "CAM CDROM driver");
 SYSCTL_NODE(_kern_cam_cd, OID_AUTO, changer, CTLFLAG_RD, 0, "CD Changer");
+SYSCTL_INT(_kern_cam_cd, OID_AUTO, retry_count, CTLFLAG_RW,
+           &cd_retry_count, 0, "Normal I/O retry count");
+TUNABLE_INT("kern.cam.cd.retry_count", &cd_retry_count);
 SYSCTL_INT(_kern_cam_cd_changer, OID_AUTO, min_busy_seconds, CTLFLAG_RW,
 	   &changer_min_busy_seconds, 0, "Minimum changer scheduling quantum");
 TUNABLE_INT("kern.cam.cd.changer.min_busy_seconds", &changer_min_busy_seconds);
@@ -1454,7 +1461,7 @@ cdstart(struct cam_periph *periph, union ccb *start_ccb)
 			devstat_start_transaction_bio(softc->disk->d_devstat, bp);
 
 			scsi_read_write(&start_ccb->csio,
-					/*retries*/4,
+					/*retries*/cd_retry_count,
 					/* cbfcnp */ cddone,
 					MSG_SIMPLE_Q_TAG,
 					/* read */bp->bio_cmd == BIO_READ,