diff --git a/pkg/kubectl/cmd/cp.go b/pkg/kubectl/cmd/cp.go
index 8b3a89096b6..a5d67de3f96 100644
--- a/pkg/kubectl/cmd/cp.go
+++ b/pkg/kubectl/cmd/cp.go
@@ -301,10 +301,12 @@ func recursiveTar(srcBase, srcFile, destBase, destFile string, tw *tar.Writer) e
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-
 		defer f.Close()
-		_, err = io.Copy(tw, f)
-		return err
+
+		if _, err := io.Copy(tw, f); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		return f.Close()
 	}
 	return nil
 }
@@ -330,7 +332,6 @@ func untarAll(reader io.Reader, destFile, prefix string) error {
 			return err
 		}
 		if header.FileInfo().IsDir() {
-
 			if err := os.MkdirAll(outFileName, 0755); err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
@@ -359,7 +360,12 @@ func untarAll(reader io.Reader, destFile, prefix string) error {
 				return err
 			}
 			defer outFile.Close()
-			io.Copy(outFile, tarReader)
+			if _, err := io.Copy(outFile, tarReader); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			if err := outFile.Close(); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/pkg/kubectl/cmd/cp_test.go b/pkg/kubectl/cmd/cp_test.go
index b410bc694ba..8236fef7a37 100644
--- a/pkg/kubectl/cmd/cp_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kubectl/cmd/cp_test.go
@@ -109,8 +109,8 @@ func TestGetPrefix(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestTarUntar(t *testing.T) {
-	dir, err := ioutil.TempDir(os.TempDir(), "input")
-	dir2, err2 := ioutil.TempDir(os.TempDir(), "output")
+	dir, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "input")
+	dir2, err2 := ioutil.TempDir("", "output")
 	if err != nil || err2 != nil {
 		t.Errorf("unexpected error: %v | %v", err, err2)
 		t.FailNow()
@@ -160,74 +160,74 @@ func TestTarUntar(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, file := range files {
 		filepath := path.Join(dir, file.name)
 		if err := os.MkdirAll(path.Dir(filepath), 0755); err != nil {
-			t.Errorf("unexpected error: %v", err)
-			t.FailNow()
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
 		}
 		if file.fileType == RegularFile {
 			f, err := os.Create(filepath)
 			if err != nil {
-				t.Errorf("unexpected error: %v", err)
-				t.FailNow()
+				t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
 			}
 			defer f.Close()
 			if _, err := io.Copy(f, bytes.NewBuffer([]byte(file.data))); err != nil {
-				t.Errorf("unexpected error: %v", err)
-				t.FailNow()
+				t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+			}
+			if err := f.Close(); err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
 			}
 		} else if file.fileType == SymLink {
 			err := os.Symlink(file.data, filepath)
 			if err != nil {
-				t.Errorf("unexpected error: %v", err)
-				t.FailNow()
+				t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
 			}
 		} else {
-			t.Errorf("unexpected file type: %v", file)
-			t.FailNow()
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected file type: %v", file)
 		}
 
 	}
 
 	writer := &bytes.Buffer{}
 	if err := makeTar(dir, dir, writer); err != nil {
-		t.Errorf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
 	}
 
 	reader := bytes.NewBuffer(writer.Bytes())
 	if err := untarAll(reader, dir2, ""); err != nil {
-		t.Errorf("unexpected error: %v", err)
-		t.FailNow()
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
 	}
 
 	for _, file := range files {
-		absPath := dir2 + strings.TrimPrefix(dir, os.TempDir())
-		filepath := path.Join(absPath, file.name)
+		absPath := filepath.Join(dir2, strings.TrimPrefix(dir, os.TempDir()))
+		filePath := filepath.Join(absPath, file.name)
 
 		if file.fileType == RegularFile {
-			f, err := os.Open(filepath)
+			f, err := os.Open(filePath)
 			if err != nil {
-				t.Errorf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+				t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
 			}
 
 			defer f.Close()
 			buff := &bytes.Buffer{}
-			io.Copy(buff, f)
-
+			if _, err := io.Copy(buff, f); err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			if err := f.Close(); err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
 			if file.data != string(buff.Bytes()) {
-				t.Errorf("expected: %s, saw: %s", file.data, string(buff.Bytes()))
+				t.Fatalf("expected: %s, saw: %s", file.data, string(buff.Bytes()))
 			}
 		} else if file.fileType == SymLink {
-			dest, err := os.Readlink(filepath)
+			dest, err := os.Readlink(filePath)
 
 			if err != nil {
-				t.Errorf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+				t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
 			}
 
 			if file.data != dest {
-				t.Errorf("expected: %s, saw: %s", file.data, dest)
+				t.Fatalf("expected: %s, saw: %s", file.data, dest)
 			}
 		} else {
-			t.Errorf("unexpected file type: %v", file)
-			t.FailNow()
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected file type: %v", file)
 		}
 	}
 }