diff --git a/e2e/cephfs_helper.go b/e2e/cephfs_helper.go
index db7811dd9..fb247ee01 100644
--- a/e2e/cephfs_helper.go
+++ b/e2e/cephfs_helper.go
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ func unmountCephFSVolume(f *framework.Framework, appName, pvcName string) error
 		"umount /var/lib/kubelet/pods/%s/volumes/kubernetes.io~csi/%s/mount",
 		pod.UID,
 		pvc.Spec.VolumeName)
-	_, stdErr, err := execCommandInDaemonsetPod(
+	stdErr, err := execCommandInDaemonsetPod(
 		f,
 		cmd,
 		cephFSDeamonSetName,
diff --git a/e2e/pod.go b/e2e/pod.go
index 394b92a18..61fb03db8 100644
--- a/e2e/pod.go
+++ b/e2e/pod.go
@@ -137,13 +137,16 @@ func getCommandInPodOpts(
 	}, nil
 }
 
-// execCommandInDaemonsetPod executes commands inside given container of a daemonset pod on a particular node.
+// execCommandInDaemonsetPod executes commands inside given container of a
+// daemonset pod on a particular node.
+//
+// stderr is returned as a string, and err will be set on a failure.
 func execCommandInDaemonsetPod(
 	f *framework.Framework,
-	c, daemonsetName, nodeName, containerName, ns string) (string, string, error) {
+	c, daemonsetName, nodeName, containerName, ns string) (string, error) {
 	selector, err := getDaemonSetLabelSelector(f, ns, daemonsetName)
 	if err != nil {
-		return "", "", err
+		return "", err
 	}
 
 	opt := &metav1.ListOptions{
@@ -151,7 +154,7 @@ func execCommandInDaemonsetPod(
 	}
 	pods, err := listPods(f, ns, opt)
 	if err != nil {
-		return "", "", err
+		return "", err
 	}
 
 	podName := ""
@@ -161,7 +164,7 @@ func execCommandInDaemonsetPod(
 		}
 	}
 	if podName == "" {
-		return "", "", fmt.Errorf("%s daemonset pod on node %s in namespace %s not found", daemonsetName, nodeName, ns)
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("%s daemonset pod on node %s in namespace %s not found", daemonsetName, nodeName, ns)
 	}
 
 	cmd := []string{"/bin/sh", "-c", c}
@@ -174,7 +177,9 @@ func execCommandInDaemonsetPod(
 		CaptureStderr: true,
 	}
 
-	return f.ExecWithOptions(podOpt)
+	_ /* stdout */, stderr, err := f.ExecWithOptions(podOpt)
+
+	return stderr, err
 }
 
 // listPods returns slice of pods matching given ListOptions and namespace.