diff --git a/pkg/controller/machinedeployment/BUILD.bazel b/pkg/controller/machinedeployment/BUILD.bazel
index 6901a9849cd5..44b7489926d8 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/machinedeployment/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/pkg/controller/machinedeployment/BUILD.bazel
@@ -13,7 +13,9 @@ go_library(
         "//pkg/apis/cluster/common:go_default_library",
         "//pkg/apis/cluster/v1alpha1:go_default_library",
         "//pkg/controller/machinedeployment/util:go_default_library",
+        "//pkg/util:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/github.com/pkg/errors:go_default_library",
+        "//vendor/k8s.io/api/core/v1:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/equality:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1:go_default_library",
@@ -21,6 +23,7 @@ go_library(
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/rand:go_default_library",
+        "//vendor/k8s.io/client-go/tools/record:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/client-go/util/integer:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/client-go/util/retry:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/klog:go_default_library",
diff --git a/pkg/controller/machinedeployment/controller.go b/pkg/controller/machinedeployment/controller.go
index e49ee4c7cfe5..7c97791f0910 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/machinedeployment/controller.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/machinedeployment/controller.go
@@ -21,11 +21,13 @@ import (
 	"reflect"
 
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
+	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	apierrors "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/labels"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
+	"k8s.io/client-go/tools/record"
 	"k8s.io/klog"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/cluster-api/pkg/apis/cluster/common"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/cluster-api/pkg/apis/cluster/v1alpha1"
@@ -43,15 +45,19 @@ var (
 	controllerKind = v1alpha1.SchemeGroupVersion.WithKind("MachineDeployment")
 )
 
+// controllerName is the name of this controller
+const controllerName = "machinedeployment-controller"
+
 // ReconcileMachineDeployment reconciles a MachineDeployment object.
 type ReconcileMachineDeployment struct {
 	client.Client
-	scheme *runtime.Scheme
+	scheme   *runtime.Scheme
+	recorder record.EventRecorder
 }
 
 // newReconciler returns a new reconcile.Reconciler.
 func newReconciler(mgr manager.Manager) *ReconcileMachineDeployment {
-	return &ReconcileMachineDeployment{Client: mgr.GetClient(), scheme: mgr.GetScheme()}
+	return &ReconcileMachineDeployment{Client: mgr.GetClient(), scheme: mgr.GetScheme(), recorder: mgr.GetRecorder(controllerName)}
 }
 
 // Add creates a new MachineDeployment Controller and adds it to the Manager with default RBAC.
@@ -63,7 +69,7 @@ func Add(mgr manager.Manager) error {
 // add adds a new Controller to mgr with r as the reconcile.Reconciler.
 func add(mgr manager.Manager, r reconcile.Reconciler, mapFn handler.ToRequestsFunc) error {
 	// Create a new controller.
-	c, err := controller.New("machinedeployment-controller", mgr, controller.Options{Reconciler: r})
+	c, err := controller.New(controllerName, mgr, controller.Options{Reconciler: r})
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -146,6 +152,7 @@ func (r *ReconcileMachineDeployment) getMachineSetsForDeployment(d *v1alpha1.Mac
 func (r *ReconcileMachineDeployment) Reconcile(request reconcile.Request) (reconcile.Result, error) {
 	// Fetch the MachineDeployment instance
 	d := &v1alpha1.MachineDeployment{}
+	ctx := context.TODO()
 	if err := r.Get(context.TODO(), request.NamespacedName, d); err != nil {
 		if apierrors.IsNotFound(err) {
 			// Object not found, return.  Created objects are automatically garbage collected.
@@ -155,7 +162,16 @@ func (r *ReconcileMachineDeployment) Reconcile(request reconcile.Request) (recon
 		// Error reading the object - requeue the request.
 		return reconcile.Result{}, err
 	}
+	result, err := r.reconcile(ctx, d)
+	if err != nil {
+		klog.Errorf("Failed to reconcile MachineDeployment %q: %v", request.NamespacedName, err)
+		r.recorder.Eventf(d, corev1.EventTypeWarning, "ReconcileError", "%v", err)
+	}
+
+	return result, err
+}
 
+func (r *ReconcileMachineDeployment) reconcile(ctx context.Context, d *v1alpha1.MachineDeployment) (reconcile.Result, error) {
 	v1alpha1.PopulateDefaultsMachineDeployment(d)
 
 	everything := metav1.LabelSelector{}