diff --git a/lib/child_process.js b/lib/child_process.js
index ad5bce3db044d9..1482566ba893dc 100644
--- a/lib/child_process.js
+++ b/lib/child_process.js
@@ -362,6 +362,8 @@ function execFile(file /* , args, options, callback */) {
   }
   if (options.signal) {
     if (options.signal.aborted) {
+      if (!ex)
+        ex = new AbortError();
       process.nextTick(() => kill());
     } else {
       const childController = new AbortController();
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-child-process-execfile.js b/test/parallel/test-child-process-execfile.js
index bf1dfda8bfe982..28bb498ea4b51d 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-child-process-execfile.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-child-process-execfile.js
@@ -54,25 +54,19 @@ const execOpts = { encoding: 'utf8', shell: true };
   const ac = new AbortController();
   const { signal } = ac;
 
-  const firstCheck = common.mustCall((err) => {
-    assert.strictEqual(err.code, 'ABORT_ERR');
-    assert.strictEqual(err.name, 'AbortError');
-    assert.strictEqual(err.signal, undefined);
-  });
-
-  const secondCheck = common.mustCall((err) => {
-    assert.strictEqual(err.code, null);
-    assert.strictEqual(err.name, 'Error');
-    assert.strictEqual(err.signal, 'SIGTERM');
-  });
-
-  execFile(process.execPath, [echoFixture, 0], { signal }, (err) => {
-    firstCheck(err);
-    // Test that re-using the aborted signal results in immediate SIGTERM.
-    execFile(process.execPath, [echoFixture, 0], { signal }, secondCheck);
-  });
+  const test = () => {
+    const check = common.mustCall((err) => {
+      assert.strictEqual(err.code, 'ABORT_ERR');
+      assert.strictEqual(err.name, 'AbortError');
+      assert.strictEqual(err.signal, undefined);
+    });
+    execFile(process.execPath, [echoFixture, 0], { signal }, check);
+  };
 
+  test();
   ac.abort();
+  // Verify that it still works the same way now that the signal is aborted.
+  test();
 }
 
 {