diff --git a/test/e2e/storage/testsuites/BUILD b/test/e2e/storage/testsuites/BUILD
index 1987fb2cf50..800a19f6093 100644
--- a/test/e2e/storage/testsuites/BUILD
+++ b/test/e2e/storage/testsuites/BUILD
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ go_library(
         "//staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors:go_default_library",
         "//staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/resource:go_default_library",
         "//staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1:go_default_library",
-        "//staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/fields:go_default_library",
         "//staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/errors:go_default_library",
         "//staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/rand:go_default_library",
         "//staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/wait:go_default_library",
diff --git a/test/e2e/storage/testsuites/subpath.go b/test/e2e/storage/testsuites/subpath.go
index e97ed7d1a22..66e1985c9ce 100644
--- a/test/e2e/storage/testsuites/subpath.go
+++ b/test/e2e/storage/testsuites/subpath.go
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ import (
 
 	"k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
-	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/fields"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/rand"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/wait"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/test/e2e/framework"
@@ -587,16 +586,54 @@ func testPodFailSubpathError(f *framework.Framework, pod *v1.Pod, errorMsg strin
 	defer func() {
 		framework.DeletePodWithWait(f, f.ClientSet, pod)
 	}()
+	By("Checking for subpath error in container status")
+	err = waitForPodSubpathError(f, pod)
+	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "while waiting for subpath failure")
+}
 
-	By("Checking for subpath error event")
-	selector := fields.Set{
-		"involvedObject.kind":      "Pod",
-		"involvedObject.name":      pod.Name,
-		"involvedObject.namespace": f.Namespace.Name,
-		"reason":                   "Failed",
-	}.AsSelector().String()
-	err = framework.WaitTimeoutForPodEvent(f.ClientSet, pod.Name, f.Namespace.Name, selector, errorMsg, framework.PodStartTimeout)
-	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "while waiting for failed event to occur")
+func findSubpathContainerName(pod *v1.Pod) string {
+	for _, container := range pod.Spec.Containers {
+		for _, mount := range container.VolumeMounts {
+			if mount.SubPath != "" {
+				return container.Name
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
+func waitForPodSubpathError(f *framework.Framework, pod *v1.Pod) error {
+	subpathContainerName := findSubpathContainerName(pod)
+	if subpathContainerName == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to find container that uses subpath")
+	}
+
+	return wait.PollImmediate(framework.Poll, framework.PodStartTimeout, func() (bool, error) {
+		pod, err := f.ClientSet.CoreV1().Pods(pod.Namespace).Get(pod.Name, metav1.GetOptions{})
+		if err != nil {
+			return false, err
+		}
+		for _, status := range pod.Status.ContainerStatuses {
+			// 0 is the container that uses subpath
+			if status.Name == subpathContainerName {
+				switch {
+				case status.State.Running != nil:
+					return false, fmt.Errorf("subpath container unexpectedly became running")
+				case status.State.Terminated != nil:
+					return false, fmt.Errorf("subpath container unexpectedly terminated")
+				case status.State.Waiting != nil:
+					if status.State.Waiting.Reason == "CreateContainerConfigError" &&
+						strings.Contains(status.State.Waiting.Message, "subPath") {
+						return true, nil
+					}
+					return false, nil
+				default:
+					return false, nil
+				}
+			}
+		}
+		return false, nil
+	})
 }
 
 // Tests that the existing subpath mount is detected when a container restarts