diff --git a/tests/pytest/crash_gen.py b/tests/pytest/crash_gen.py
index 98181180e200fade047cfcc8f1be68434220af13..c1a7b92dc96607e9e68886e4990695b7bad5f9f1 100755
--- a/tests/pytest/crash_gen.py
+++ b/tests/pytest/crash_gen.py
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ class WorkerThread:
 
 
 class ThreadCoordinator:
-    WORKER_THREAD_TIMEOUT = 30
+    WORKER_THREAD_TIMEOUT = 60 # one minute
 
     def __init__(self, pool: ThreadPool, dbManager):
         self._curStep = -1  # first step is 0
@@ -388,7 +388,9 @@ class ThreadCoordinator:
             except taos.error.ProgrammingError as err:
                 transitionFailed = True
                 errno2 = err.errno if (err.errno > 0) else 0x80000000 + err.errno  # correct error scheme
-                logger.info("Transition failed: errno=0x{:X}, msg: {}".format(errno2, err))
+                errMsg = "Transition failed: errno=0x{:X}, msg: {}".format(errno2, err)
+                logger.info(errMsg)
+                self._execStats.registerFailure(errMsg)
 
             # Then we move on to the next step
             self._releaseAllWorkerThreads(transitionFailed)                    
@@ -812,7 +814,7 @@ class DbConnNative(DbConn):
                     buildPath = root[:len(root) - len("/build/bin")]
                     break
         if buildPath == None:
-            raise RuntimeError("Failed to determine buildPath, selfPath={}".format(self_path))
+            raise RuntimeError("Failed to determine buildPath, selfPath={}".format(selfPath))
         return buildPath
 
     
@@ -2325,7 +2327,7 @@ class ServiceManagerThread:
         if self._tdeSubProcess.isRunning():  # still running
             print(
                 "FAILED to stop sub process, it is still running... pid = {}".format(
-                    self.subProcess.pid))
+                    self._tdeSubProcess.pid))
         else:
             self._tdeSubProcess = None  # not running any more
             self.join()  # stop the thread, change the status, etc.
@@ -2469,15 +2471,19 @@ class TdeSubProcess:
             
 
         svcCmd = [taosdPath, '-c', cfgPath]
+        svcCmdSingle = "{} -c {}".format(taosdPath, cfgPath)
         # svcCmd = ['vmstat', '1']
         if self.subProcess:  # already there
             raise RuntimeError("Corrupt process state")
 
+        # print("Starting service: {}".format(svcCmd))
         self.subProcess = subprocess.Popen(
-            svcCmd,
+            # svcCmd, shell=False,
+            svcCmdSingle, shell=True, # capture core dump?
             stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
             # bufsize=1, # not supported in binary mode
-            close_fds=ON_POSIX)  # had text=True, which interferred with reading EOF
+            close_fds=ON_POSIX
+            )  # had text=True, which interferred with reading EOF
 
     def stop(self):
         if not self.subProcess: