diff --git a/_pytest/junitxml.py b/_pytest/junitxml.py
index d63c23e6a..6d25d8407 100644
--- a/_pytest/junitxml.py
+++ b/_pytest/junitxml.py
@@ -123,7 +123,12 @@ class LogXML(object):
                 Junit.skipped(message="xfail-marked test passes unexpectedly"))
             self.skipped += 1
         else:
-            fail = Junit.failure(message="test failure")
+            if isinstance(report.longrepr, (unicode, str)):
+                message = report.longrepr
+            else:
+                message = report.longrepr.reprcrash.message
+            message = bin_xml_escape(message)
+            fail = Junit.failure(message=message)
             fail.append(bin_xml_escape(report.longrepr))
             self.append(fail)
             self.failed += 1
diff --git a/testing/test_junitxml.py b/testing/test_junitxml.py
index 4bae13886..9da836bbe 100644
--- a/testing/test_junitxml.py
+++ b/testing/test_junitxml.py
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ class TestPython:
             classname="test_failure_function",
             name="test_fail")
         fnode = tnode.getElementsByTagName("failure")[0]
-        assert_attr(fnode, message="test failure")
+        assert_attr(fnode, message="ValueError: 42")
         assert "ValueError" in fnode.toxml()
         systemout = fnode.nextSibling
         assert systemout.tagName == "system-out"
@@ -159,6 +159,19 @@ class TestPython:
         assert systemerr.tagName == "system-err"
         assert "hello-stderr" in systemerr.toxml()
 
+    def test_failure_verbose_message(self, testdir):
+        testdir.makepyfile("""
+            import sys
+            def test_fail():
+                assert 0, "An error"
+        """)
+
+        result, dom = runandparse(testdir)
+        node = dom.getElementsByTagName("testsuite")[0]
+        tnode = node.getElementsByTagName("testcase")[0]
+        fnode = tnode.getElementsByTagName("failure")[0]
+        assert_attr(fnode, message="AssertionError: An error assert 0")
+
     def test_failure_escape(self, testdir):
         testdir.makepyfile("""
             import pytest
@@ -371,7 +384,7 @@ class TestNonPython:
             #classname="test_collect_error",
             name="myfile.xyz")
         fnode = tnode.getElementsByTagName("failure")[0]
-        assert_attr(fnode, message="test failure")
+        assert_attr(fnode, message="custom item runtest failed")
         assert "custom item runtest failed" in fnode.toxml()