diff --git a/server/peer_server.go b/server/peer_server.go
index 4ea1075e8..d06665ad6 100644
--- a/server/peer_server.go
+++ b/server/peer_server.go
@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@ import (
 )
 
 const (
+	// MaxHeartbeatTimeoutBackoff is the maximum number of seconds before we warn
+	// the user again about a peer not accepting heartbeats.
+	MaxHeartbeatTimeoutBackoff = 15 * time.Second
+
 	// ThresholdMonitorTimeout is the time between log notifications that the
 	// Raft heartbeat is too close to the election timeout.
 	ThresholdMonitorTimeout = 5 * time.Second
@@ -70,10 +74,18 @@ type PeerServer struct {
 	routineGroup         sync.WaitGroup
 	timeoutThresholdChan chan interface{}
 
+	logBackoffs map[string]*logBackoff
+
 	metrics *metrics.Bucket
 	sync.Mutex
 }
 
+type logBackoff struct {
+	next    time.Time
+	backoff time.Duration
+	count   int
+}
+
 // TODO: find a good policy to do snapshot
 type snapshotConf struct {
 	// Etcd will check if snapshot is need every checkingInterval
@@ -97,6 +109,7 @@ func NewPeerServer(psConfig PeerServerConfig, client *Client, registry *Registry
 		serverStats:    serverStats,
 
 		timeoutThresholdChan: make(chan interface{}, 1),
+		logBackoffs:          make(map[string]*logBackoff),
 
 		metrics: mb,
 	}
@@ -687,11 +700,12 @@ func (s *PeerServer) raftEventLogger(event raft.Event) {
 	case raft.RemovePeerEventType:
 		log.Infof("%s: peer removed: '%v'", s.Config.Name, value)
 	case raft.HeartbeatIntervalEventType:
-		var name = "<unknown>"
-		if peer, ok := value.(*raft.Peer); ok {
-			name = peer.Name
+		peer, ok := value.(*raft.Peer);
+		if !ok {
+			log.Warnf("%s: heatbeat timeout from unknown peer", s.Config.Name)
+			return
 		}
-		log.Infof("%s: warning: heartbeat timed out: '%v'", s.Config.Name, name)
+		s.logHeartbeatTimeout(peer)
 	case raft.ElectionTimeoutThresholdEventType:
 		select {
 		case s.timeoutThresholdChan <- value:
@@ -701,6 +715,35 @@ func (s *PeerServer) raftEventLogger(event raft.Event) {
 	}
 }
 
+// logHeartbeatTimeout logs about the edge triggered heartbeat timeout event
+// only if we haven't warned within a reasonable interval.
+func (s *PeerServer) logHeartbeatTimeout(peer *raft.Peer) {
+	b, ok := s.logBackoffs[peer.Name]
+	if !ok {
+		b = &logBackoff{time.Time{}, time.Second, 1}
+		s.logBackoffs[peer.Name] = b
+	}
+
+	if peer.LastActivity().After(b.next) {
+		b.next = time.Time{}
+		b.backoff = time.Second
+		b.count = 1
+	}
+
+	if b.next.After(time.Now()) {
+		b.count++
+		return
+	}
+
+	b.backoff = 2 * b.backoff
+	if b.backoff > MaxHeartbeatTimeoutBackoff {
+		b.backoff = MaxHeartbeatTimeoutBackoff
+	}
+	b.next = time.Now().Add(b.backoff)
+
+	log.Infof("%s: warning: heartbeat time out peer=%q missed=%d backoff=%q", s.Config.Name, peer.Name, b.count, b.backoff)
+}
+
 func (s *PeerServer) recordMetricEvent(event raft.Event) {
 	name := fmt.Sprintf("raft.event.%s", event.Type())
 	value := event.Value().(time.Duration)