diff --git a/.changes/next-release/bugfix-parser-5e14f8ef.json b/.changes/next-release/bugfix-parser-5e14f8ef.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9075683a68
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changes/next-release/bugfix-parser-5e14f8ef.json
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+{
+  "type": "bugfix",
+  "category": "parser",
+  "description": "Now we can disable inserting empty array in xml parser if the member doesn't exist in response."
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/apis/metadata.json b/apis/metadata.json
index 0976569af9..1efe491e6f 100644
--- a/apis/metadata.json
+++ b/apis/metadata.json
@@ -360,7 +360,8 @@
   },
   "s3control": {
     "name": "S3Control",
-    "dualstackAvailable": true
+    "dualstackAvailable": true,
+    "xmlNoDefaultLists": true
   },
   "servicecatalog": {
     "name": "ServiceCatalog",
diff --git a/lib/model/api.js b/lib/model/api.js
index 822aacd9f7..621750c222 100644
--- a/lib/model/api.js
+++ b/lib/model/api.js
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ var Operation = require('./operation');
 var Shape = require('./shape');
 var Paginator = require('./paginator');
 var ResourceWaiter = require('./resource_waiter');
+var metadata = require('../../apis/metadata.json');
 
 var util = require('../util');
 var property = util.property;
@@ -16,6 +17,9 @@ function Api(api, options) {
 
   api.metadata = api.metadata || {};
 
+  var serviceIdentifier = options.serviceIdentifier;
+  delete options.serviceIdentifier;
+
   property(this, 'isApi', true, false);
   property(this, 'apiVersion', api.metadata.apiVersion);
   property(this, 'endpointPrefix', api.metadata.endpointPrefix);
@@ -30,6 +34,9 @@ function Api(api, options) {
   property(this, 'abbreviation', api.metadata.serviceAbbreviation);
   property(this, 'fullName', api.metadata.serviceFullName);
   property(this, 'serviceId', api.metadata.serviceId);
+  if (serviceIdentifier) {
+      property(this, 'xmlNoDefaultLists', metadata[serviceIdentifier].xmlNoDefaultLists, false);
+  }
 
   memoizedProperty(this, 'className', function() {
     var name = api.metadata.serviceAbbreviation || api.metadata.serviceFullName;
diff --git a/lib/service.js b/lib/service.js
index 538c627e40..ac6ad7f2e1 100644
--- a/lib/service.js
+++ b/lib/service.js
@@ -751,7 +751,9 @@ AWS.util.update(AWS.Service, {
       if (api.isApi) {
         svc.prototype.api = api;
       } else {
-        svc.prototype.api = new Api(api);
+        svc.prototype.api = new Api(api, {
+          serviceIdentifier: superclass.serviceIdentifier
+        });
       }
     }
 
diff --git a/lib/xml/browser_parser.js b/lib/xml/browser_parser.js
index 32740d0f34..443e8b0e2a 100644
--- a/lib/xml/browser_parser.js
+++ b/lib/xml/browser_parser.js
@@ -108,7 +108,10 @@ function parseStructure(xml, shape) {
         getElementByTagName(xml, memberShape.name);
       if (xmlChild) {
         data[memberName] = parseXml(xmlChild, memberShape);
-      } else if (!memberShape.flattened && memberShape.type === 'list') {
+      } else if (
+        !memberShape.flattened &&
+        memberShape.type === 'list' &&
+        !shape.api.xmlNoDefaultLists) {
         data[memberName] = memberShape.defaultValue;
       }
     }
diff --git a/lib/xml/node_parser.js b/lib/xml/node_parser.js
index 5b0d03ad11..9a2a701936 100644
--- a/lib/xml/node_parser.js
+++ b/lib/xml/node_parser.js
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ function parseStructure(xml, shape) {
     } else if (memberShape.isXmlAttribute &&
                xml.$ && Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(xml.$, xmlName)) {
       data[memberName] = parseScalar(xml.$[xmlName], memberShape);
-    } else if (memberShape.type === 'list') {
+    } else if (memberShape.type === 'list' && !shape.api.xmlNoDefaultLists) {
       data[memberName] = memberShape.defaultValue;
     }
   });
diff --git a/test/xml/parser.spec.js b/test/xml/parser.spec.js
index c07865f19d..6527b6fd53 100644
--- a/test/xml/parser.spec.js
+++ b/test/xml/parser.spec.js
@@ -213,6 +213,28 @@
           });
         });
       });
+      it('return empty string for missing list when xmlNoDefaultLists is set', function() {
+        xml = '<xml></xml>';
+        rules = {
+          type: 'structure',
+          members: {
+            items: {
+              type: 'list',
+              member: {
+                type: 'string'
+              }
+            }
+          }
+        };
+        var shape = AWS.Model.Shape.create(rules, {
+          api: {
+            protocol: 'rest-xml',
+            xmlNoDefaultLists: true
+          }
+        });
+        var data = new AWS.XML.Parser().parse(xml, shape);
+        expect(data).to.eql({});
+      });
       it('Converts xml lists of strings into arrays of strings', function() {
         var rules, xml;
         xml = '<xml>\n  <items>\n    <member>abc</member>\n    <member>xyz</member>\n  </items>\n</xml>';