A data storage device and method for host-initiated cached read to recover corrupted data within timeout constraints are provided. In one embodiment, a data storage device is provided comprising a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, and a controller. The controller is configured to receive a read look-ahead command from a host to perform a read look-ahead of a first logical address; receive a read command from the host to read a second logical address; and execute the read look-ahead command by performing the following as background operations while executing the read command: read data for a location in the non-volatile memory that corresponds to the first logical address; correct an error in the data; and cache the corrected data in the volatile memory. The cached corrected data can be sent back to the host in response to the host requesting a read of the same logical address. Other embodiments are provided.