diff --git a/integration-cli/docker_cli_network_unix_test.go b/integration-cli/docker_cli_network_unix_test.go
index 6675cf1d26..2ee2092c69 100644
--- a/integration-cli/docker_cli_network_unix_test.go
+++ b/integration-cli/docker_cli_network_unix_test.go
@@ -1452,3 +1452,16 @@ func (s *DockerSuite) TestDockerNetworkInternalMode(c *check.C) {
 	_, _, err = dockerCmdWithError("exec", "second", "ping", "-c", "1", "first")
 	c.Assert(err, check.IsNil)
 }
+
+// Test for #21401
+func (s *DockerNetworkSuite) TestDockerNetworkCreateDeleteSpecialCharacters(c *check.C) {
+	dockerCmd(c, "network", "create", "test@#$")
+	assertNwIsAvailable(c, "test@#$")
+	dockerCmd(c, "network", "rm", "test@#$")
+	assertNwNotAvailable(c, "test@#$")
+
+	dockerCmd(c, "network", "create", "kiwl$%^")
+	assertNwIsAvailable(c, "kiwl$%^")
+	dockerCmd(c, "network", "rm", "kiwl$%^")
+	assertNwNotAvailable(c, "kiwl$%^")
+}
diff --git a/vendor/src/github.com/docker/engine-api/client/request.go b/vendor/src/github.com/docker/engine-api/client/request.go
index f45182399c..bccdc64889 100644
--- a/vendor/src/github.com/docker/engine-api/client/request.go
+++ b/vendor/src/github.com/docker/engine-api/client/request.go
@@ -128,7 +128,10 @@ func (cli *Client) sendClientRequest(ctx context.Context, method, path string, q
 
 func (cli *Client) newRequest(method, path string, query url.Values, body io.Reader, headers map[string][]string) (*http.Request, error) {
 	apiPath := cli.getAPIPath(path, query)
-	req, err := http.NewRequest(method, apiPath, body)
+
+	// The apiPath needs to be sanitized.
+	apiPathURL := &url.URL{Path: apiPath}
+	req, err := http.NewRequest(method, apiPathURL.String(), body)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}