diff --git a/weed/server/volume_grpc_scrub.go b/weed/server/volume_grpc_scrub.go
index c306944ae..3b967e35c 100644
--- a/weed/server/volume_grpc_scrub.go
+++ b/weed/server/volume_grpc_scrub.go
@@ -124,7 +124,8 @@ func (vs *VolumeServer) ScrubEcVolume(ctx context.Context, req *volume_server_pb
 		case volume_server_pb.VolumeScrubMode_LOCAL:
 			files, shardInfos, serrs = v.ScrubLocal()
 		case volume_server_pb.VolumeScrubMode_FULL:
-			files, shardInfos, serrs = vs.store.ScrubEcVolume(v.VolumeId)
+			// TODO: expose force_deleted_needles_check in the RPC and weed shell.
+			files, shardInfos, serrs = vs.store.ScrubEcVolume(v.VolumeId, false)
 		case volume_server_pb.VolumeScrubMode_CHECKSUM:
 			// Verify each local shard's raw bytes against the bitrot sidecar,
 			// exercising cold parity shards. Read-only. ChecksumScrub's first
diff --git a/weed/storage/store_ec_scrub.go b/weed/storage/store_ec_scrub.go
index fbd9eccce..2de3da1c4 100644
--- a/weed/storage/store_ec_scrub.go
+++ b/weed/storage/store_ec_scrub.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package storage
 
 import (
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"slices"
 
@@ -12,7 +13,7 @@ import (
 
 // ScrubEcVolume checks the full integrity of a EC volume, across both local and remote shards.
 // Returns a count of processed file entries, slice of found broken shards, and slice of found errors.
-func (s *Store) ScrubEcVolume(vid needle.VolumeId) (int64, []*volume_server_pb.EcShardInfo, []error) {
+func (s *Store) ScrubEcVolume(vid needle.VolumeId, forceDeletedNeedlesCheck bool) (int64, []*volume_server_pb.EcShardInfo, []error) {
 	ecv, found := s.FindEcVolume(vid)
 	if !found {
 		return 0, nil, []error{fmt.Errorf("EC volume id %d not found", vid)}
@@ -78,7 +79,12 @@ func (s *Store) ScrubEcVolume(vid needle.VolumeId) (int64, []*volume_server_pb.E
 
 		n := needle.Needle{}
 		if err := n.ReadBytes(data, 0, size, ecv.Version); err != nil {
-			errs = append(errs, fmt.Errorf("needle %d on EC volume %d: %v", id, ecv.VolumeId, err))
+			// needles flagged as deleted in the index but not in the volume (or vice-versa) cannot
+			// be properly hydrated, as the header read by needle.ReadBytes() will mismatch.
+			deleteSizeMismatch := size.IsDeleted() != (n.Size == 0)
+			if !errors.Is(err, needle.ErrorSizeMismatch) || !deleteSizeMismatch || forceDeletedNeedlesCheck {
+				errs = append(errs, fmt.Errorf("needle %d on EC volume %d: %v", id, ecv.VolumeId, err))
+			}
 		}
 
 		return nil