diff --git a/cinder/backup/drivers/ceph.py b/cinder/backup/drivers/ceph.py
index 0e66c4a05e4..cbe1eef21d4 100644
--- a/cinder/backup/drivers/ceph.py
+++ b/cinder/backup/drivers/ceph.py
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ import json
 import os
 import re
 import subprocess
+import tempfile
 import time
 from typing import Dict, List, Optional, Tuple
 
@@ -618,33 +619,40 @@ class CephBackupDriver(driver.BackupDriver):
         LOG.debug("Piping cmd1='%s' into...", ' '.join(cmd1))
         LOG.debug("cmd2='%s'", ' '.join(cmd2))
 
-        try:
-            p1 = subprocess.Popen(cmd1, stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
-                                  stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
-                                  close_fds=True)
-        except OSError as e:
-            LOG.error("Pipe1 failed - %s ", e)
-            raise
+        with tempfile.TemporaryFile() as errfile:
 
-        # NOTE(dosaboy): ensure that the pipe is blocking. This is to work
-        # around the case where evenlet.green.subprocess is used which seems to
-        # use a non-blocking pipe.
-        assert p1.stdout is not None
-        flags = fcntl.fcntl(p1.stdout, fcntl.F_GETFL) & (~os.O_NONBLOCK)
-        fcntl.fcntl(p1.stdout, fcntl.F_SETFL, flags)
+            try:
+                p1 = subprocess.Popen(cmd1, stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
+                                      stderr=errfile,
+                                      close_fds=True)
+            except OSError as e:
+                LOG.error("Pipe1 failed - %s ", e)
+                raise
 
-        try:
-            p2 = subprocess.Popen(cmd2, stdin=p1.stdout,
-                                  stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
-                                  stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
-                                  close_fds=True)
-        except OSError as e:
-            LOG.error("Pipe2 failed - %s ", e)
-            raise
+            # NOTE(dosaboy): ensure that the pipe is blocking. This is to work
+            # around the case where evenlet.green.subprocess is used which
+            # seems to use a non-blocking pipe.
+            assert p1.stdout is not None
+            flags = fcntl.fcntl(p1.stdout, fcntl.F_GETFL) & (~os.O_NONBLOCK)
+            fcntl.fcntl(p1.stdout, fcntl.F_SETFL, flags)
 
-        p1.stdout.close()
-        stdout, stderr = p2.communicate()
-        return p2.returncode, stderr
+            try:
+                p2 = subprocess.Popen(cmd2, stdin=p1.stdout,
+                                      stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
+                                      stderr=errfile,
+                                      close_fds=True)
+            except OSError as e:
+                LOG.error("Pipe2 failed - %s ", e)
+                raise
+
+            p1.stdout.close()
+            p2.communicate()
+            p1.wait()
+
+            errfile.seek(0)
+            px_stderr = errfile.read()
+
+        return p1.returncode or p2.returncode, px_stderr
 
     def _rbd_diff_transfer(self, src_name: str, src_pool: str,
                            dest_name: str, dest_pool: str,
diff --git a/cinder/tests/unit/backup/drivers/test_backup_ceph.py b/cinder/tests/unit/backup/drivers/test_backup_ceph.py
index b5bef257aa4..8d8cc9f0b2a 100644
--- a/cinder/tests/unit/backup/drivers/test_backup_ceph.py
+++ b/cinder/tests/unit/backup/drivers/test_backup_ceph.py
@@ -157,6 +157,10 @@ class BackupCephTestCase(test.TestCase):
                 self.callstack.append('communicate')
                 return retval
 
+            def wait(mock_inst):
+                self.callstack.append('wait')
+                return retval
+
         subprocess.Popen.side_effect = MockPopen
 
     def setUp(self):
@@ -522,7 +526,8 @@ class BackupCephTestCase(test.TestCase):
                                               'popen_init',
                                               'write',
                                               'stdout_close',
-                                              'communicate'], self.callstack)
+                                              'communicate',
+                                              'wait'], self.callstack)
 
                             self.assertFalse(mock_full_backup.called)
                             self.assertFalse(mock_get_backup_snaps.called)
@@ -1412,8 +1417,8 @@ class BackupCephTestCase(test.TestCase):
         mock_fcntl.return_value = 0
         self._setup_mock_popen(['out', 'err'])
         self.service._piped_execute(['foo'], ['bar'])
-        self.assertEqual(['popen_init', 'popen_init',
-                          'stdout_close', 'communicate'], self.callstack)
+        self.assertEqual(['popen_init', 'popen_init', 'stdout_close',
+                          'communicate', 'wait'], self.callstack)
 
     @common_mocks
     def test_restore_metdata(self):
diff --git a/releasenotes/notes/ceph-catch-more-failure-conditions-d2ec640f5ff8051c.yaml b/releasenotes/notes/ceph-catch-more-failure-conditions-d2ec640f5ff8051c.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..4bb20a377e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/releasenotes/notes/ceph-catch-more-failure-conditions-d2ec640f5ff8051c.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+---
+fixes:
+  - |
+    `Bug #2031897 <https://bugs.launchpad.net/cinder/+bug/2031897>`_: Fixed
+    issues for volume backups with the Ceph driver where failures of the first
+    process ("rbd export-diff") were not caught. Instead, only the return code
+    of the second process ("rbd import-diff") was recognized.
+
+    This change also preserves the stderr that was lost previously
+    in order to ease debugging.