diff --git a/docs/configs.md b/docs/configs.md
index af91974e42d..4818e868a6b 100644
--- a/docs/configs.md
+++ b/docs/configs.md
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ Name | Description | Default Value
 <a name="sql.format.csv.read.enabled"></a>spark.rapids.sql.format.csv.read.enabled|When set to false disables csv input acceleration|true
 <a name="sql.format.orc.enabled"></a>spark.rapids.sql.format.orc.enabled|When set to false disables all orc input and output acceleration|true
 <a name="sql.format.orc.read.enabled"></a>spark.rapids.sql.format.orc.read.enabled|When set to false disables orc input acceleration|true
-<a name="sql.format.orc.write.enabled"></a>spark.rapids.sql.format.orc.write.enabled|When set to false disables orc output acceleration|true
+<a name="sql.format.orc.write.enabled"></a>spark.rapids.sql.format.orc.write.enabled|When set to false disables orc output acceleration. This has been disabled by default because of https://github.com/NVIDIA/spark-rapids/issues/1550|false
 <a name="sql.format.parquet.enabled"></a>spark.rapids.sql.format.parquet.enabled|When set to false disables all parquet input and output acceleration|true
 <a name="sql.format.parquet.multiThreadedRead.maxNumFilesParallel"></a>spark.rapids.sql.format.parquet.multiThreadedRead.maxNumFilesParallel|A limit on the maximum number of files per task processed in parallel on the CPU side before the file is sent to the GPU. This affects the amount of host memory used when reading the files in parallel. Used with MULTITHREADED reader, see spark.rapids.sql.format.parquet.reader.type|2147483647
 <a name="sql.format.parquet.multiThreadedRead.numThreads"></a>spark.rapids.sql.format.parquet.multiThreadedRead.numThreads|The maximum number of threads, on the executor, to use for reading small parquet files in parallel. This can not be changed at runtime after the executor has started. Used with COALESCING and MULTITHREADED reader, see spark.rapids.sql.format.parquet.reader.type.|20
diff --git a/integration_tests/src/main/python/orc_write_test.py b/integration_tests/src/main/python/orc_write_test.py
index 0d3bc94cd96..9f68dd65e8d 100644
--- a/integration_tests/src/main/python/orc_write_test.py
+++ b/integration_tests/src/main/python/orc_write_test.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# Copyright (c) 2020, NVIDIA CORPORATION.
+# Copyright (c) 2020-2021, NVIDIA CORPORATION.
 #
 # Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 # you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ def test_write_round_trip(spark_tmp_path, orc_gens, orc_impl):
             lambda spark, path: gen_df(spark, gen_list).coalesce(1).write.orc(path),
             lambda spark, path: spark.read.orc(path),
             data_path,
-            conf={'spark.sql.orc.impl': orc_impl})
+            conf={'spark.sql.orc.impl': orc_impl, 'spark.rapids.sql.format.orc.write.enabled': True})
 
 orc_part_write_gens = [
         byte_gen, short_gen, int_gen, long_gen, float_gen, double_gen, boolean_gen,
@@ -59,7 +59,8 @@ def test_part_write_round_trip(spark_tmp_path, orc_gen):
     assert_gpu_and_cpu_writes_are_equal_collect(
             lambda spark, path: gen_df(spark, gen_list).coalesce(1).write.partitionBy('a').orc(path),
             lambda spark, path: spark.read.orc(path),
-            data_path)
+            data_path,
+            conf = {'spark.rapids.sql.format.orc.write.enabled': True})
 
 orc_write_compress_options = ['none', 'uncompressed', 'snappy']
 @pytest.mark.parametrize('compress', orc_write_compress_options)
@@ -69,7 +70,7 @@ def test_compress_write_round_trip(spark_tmp_path, compress):
             lambda spark, path : binary_op_df(spark, long_gen).coalesce(1).write.orc(path),
             lambda spark, path : spark.read.orc(path),
             data_path,
-            conf={'spark.sql.orc.compression.codec': compress})
+            conf={'spark.sql.orc.compression.codec': compress, 'spark.rapids.sql.format.orc.write.enabled': True})
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize('orc_gens', orc_write_gens_list, ids=idfn)
 @pytest.mark.parametrize('orc_impl', ["native", "hive"])
@@ -77,6 +78,7 @@ def test_write_save_table(spark_tmp_path, orc_gens, orc_impl, spark_tmp_table_fa
     gen_list = [('_c' + str(i), gen) for i, gen in enumerate(orc_gens)]
     data_path = spark_tmp_path + '/ORC_DATA'
     all_confs={'spark.sql.sources.useV1SourceList': "orc",
+               'spark.rapids.sql.format.orc.write.enabled': True,
                "spark.sql.orc.impl": orc_impl}
     assert_gpu_and_cpu_writes_are_equal_collect(
             lambda spark, path: gen_df(spark, gen_list).coalesce(1).write.format("orc").mode('overwrite').option("path", path).saveAsTable(spark_tmp_table_factory.get()),
@@ -100,14 +102,14 @@ def test_write_sql_save_table(spark_tmp_path, orc_gens, ts_type, orc_impl, spark
             lambda spark, path: write_orc_sql_from(spark, gen_df(spark, gen_list).coalesce(1), path, spark_tmp_table_factory.get()),
             lambda spark, path: spark.read.orc(path),
             data_path,
-            conf={'spark.sql.orc.impl': orc_impl})
+            conf={'spark.sql.orc.impl': orc_impl, 'spark.rapids.sql.format.orc.write.enabled': True})
 
 @allow_non_gpu('DataWritingCommandExec')
 @pytest.mark.parametrize('codec', ['zlib', 'lzo'])
 def test_orc_write_compression_fallback(spark_tmp_path, codec, spark_tmp_table_factory):
     gen = TimestampGen()
     data_path = spark_tmp_path + '/PARQUET_DATA'
-    all_confs={'spark.sql.orc.compression.codec': codec}
+    all_confs={'spark.sql.orc.compression.codec': codec, 'spark.rapids.sql.format.orc.write.enabled': True}
     assert_gpu_fallback_write(
             lambda spark, path: unary_op_df(spark, gen).coalesce(1).write.format("orc").mode('overwrite').option("path", path).saveAsTable(spark_tmp_table_factory.get()),
             lambda spark, path: spark.read.orc(path),
@@ -123,4 +125,5 @@ def test_buckets_write_fallback(spark_tmp_path, spark_tmp_table_factory):
             lambda spark, path: spark.range(10e4).write.bucketBy(4, "id").sortBy("id").format('orc').mode('overwrite').option("path", path).saveAsTable(spark_tmp_table_factory.get()),
             lambda spark, path: spark.read.orc(path),
             data_path,
-            'DataWritingCommandExec')
+            'DataWritingCommandExec',
+            conf = {'spark.rapids.sql.format.orc.write.enabled': True})
diff --git a/sql-plugin/src/main/scala/com/nvidia/spark/rapids/RapidsConf.scala b/sql-plugin/src/main/scala/com/nvidia/spark/rapids/RapidsConf.scala
index b5d09383c41..ef5f76aa341 100644
--- a/sql-plugin/src/main/scala/com/nvidia/spark/rapids/RapidsConf.scala
+++ b/sql-plugin/src/main/scala/com/nvidia/spark/rapids/RapidsConf.scala
@@ -662,9 +662,10 @@ object RapidsConf {
     .createWithDefault(true)
 
   val ENABLE_ORC_WRITE = conf("spark.rapids.sql.format.orc.write.enabled")
-    .doc("When set to false disables orc output acceleration")
+    .doc("When set to false disables orc output acceleration. This has been disabled by " +
+        "default because of https://github.com/NVIDIA/spark-rapids/issues/1550")
     .booleanConf
-    .createWithDefault(true)
+    .createWithDefault(false)
 
   val ENABLE_CSV = conf("spark.rapids.sql.format.csv.enabled")
     .doc("When set to false disables all csv input and output acceleration. " +