diff --git a/src/runmodes.c b/src/runmodes.c
index 65fd7b7ce6..f841a95cde 100644
--- a/src/runmodes.c
+++ b/src/runmodes.c
@@ -290,6 +290,10 @@ int RunModeIdsPcap(DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, char *iface) {
 
     ThreadVars *tv_outputs = TmThreadCreatePacketHandler("Outputs",
         "alert-queue1", "simple", "packetpool", "packetpool", "varslot");
+    if (tv_outputs == NULL) {
+        printf("ERROR: TmThreadCreatePacketHandler for Outputs failed\n");
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+    }
     SetupOutputs(tv_outputs);
     if (TmThreadSpawn(tv_outputs) != TM_ECODE_OK) {
         printf("ERROR: TmThreadSpawn failed\n");
@@ -475,6 +479,10 @@ int RunModeIdsPcap2(DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, char *iface) {
 
     ThreadVars *tv_outputs = TmThreadCreatePacketHandler("Outputs",
         "alert-queue1", "simple", "packetpool", "packetpool", "varslot");
+    if (tv_outputs == NULL) {
+        printf("ERROR: TmThreadCreatePacketHandler for Outputs failed\n");
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+    }
     SetupOutputs(tv_outputs);
     if (TmThreadSpawn(tv_outputs) != TM_ECODE_OK) {
         printf("ERROR: TmThreadSpawn failed\n");
@@ -826,6 +834,10 @@ int RunModeIpsNFQ(DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, char *nfq_id) {
 
     ThreadVars *tv_outputs = TmThreadCreatePacketHandler("Outputs",
         "alert-queue1", "simple", "packetpool", "packetpool", "varslot");
+    if (tv_outputs == NULL) {
+        printf("ERROR: TmThreadCreatePacketHandler for Outputs failed\n");
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+    }
     SetupOutputs(tv_outputs);
     if (TmThreadSpawn(tv_outputs) != TM_ECODE_OK) {
         printf("ERROR: TmThreadSpawn failed\n");
@@ -945,6 +957,10 @@ int RunModeFilePcap(DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, char *file) {
 
     ThreadVars *tv_outputs = TmThreadCreatePacketHandler("Outputs",
         "alert-queue1", "simple", "packetpool", "packetpool", "varslot");
+    if (tv_outputs == NULL) {
+        printf("ERROR: TmThreadCreatePacketHandler for Outputs failed\n");
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+    }
     SetupOutputs(tv_outputs);
     if (TmThreadSpawn(tv_outputs) != TM_ECODE_OK) {
         printf("ERROR: TmThreadSpawn failed\n");
@@ -1181,6 +1197,10 @@ int RunModeIdsPfring(DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, char *iface) {
 
     ThreadVars *tv_outputs = TmThreadCreatePacketHandler("Outputs",
         "alert-queue1", "simple", "packetpool", "packetpool", "varslot");
+    if (tv_outputs == NULL) {
+        printf("ERROR: TmThreadCreatePacketHandler for Outputs failed\n");
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+    }
     SetupOutputs(tv_outputs);
     if (TmThreadSpawn(tv_outputs) != TM_ECODE_OK) {
         printf("ERROR: TmThreadSpawn failed\n");
@@ -1366,6 +1386,10 @@ int RunModeIdsPfring2(DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, char *iface) {
 
     ThreadVars *tv_outputs = TmThreadCreatePacketHandler("Outputs",
         "alert-queue1", "simple", "packetpool", "packetpool", "varslot");
+    if (tv_outputs == NULL) {
+        printf("ERROR: TmThreadCreatePacketHandler for Outputs failed\n");
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+    }
     SetupOutputs(tv_outputs);
     if (TmThreadSpawn(tv_outputs) != TM_ECODE_OK) {
         printf("ERROR: TmThreadSpawn failed\n");
@@ -1707,6 +1731,10 @@ int RunModeIpsIPFW(DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx) {
 
     ThreadVars *tv_outputs = TmThreadCreatePacketHandler("Outputs",
         "alert-queue1", "simple", "packetpool", "packetpool", "varslot");
+    if (tv_outputs == NULL) {
+        printf("ERROR: TmThreadCreatePacketHandler for Outputs failed\n");
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+    }
     SetupOutputs(tv_outputs);
     if (TmThreadSpawn(tv_outputs) != TM_ECODE_OK) {
         printf("ERROR: TmThreadSpawn failed\n");
@@ -2040,6 +2068,10 @@ int RunModeIdsPfring4(DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, char *iface) {
 
     ThreadVars *tv_outputs = TmThreadCreatePacketHandler("Outputs",
         "alert-queue1", "simple", "packetpool", "packetpool", "varslot");
+    if (tv_outputs == NULL) {
+        printf("ERROR: TmThreadCreatePacketHandler for Outputs failed\n");
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+    }
     SetupOutputs(tv_outputs);
     if (TmThreadSpawn(tv_outputs) != TM_ECODE_OK) {
         printf("ERROR: TmThreadSpawn failed\n");
@@ -2337,6 +2369,10 @@ int RunModeIdsPcapAuto(DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, char *iface) {
 
     ThreadVars *tv_outputs = TmThreadCreatePacketHandler("Outputs",
         "alert-queue", "simple", "packetpool", "packetpool", "varslot");
+    if (tv_outputs == NULL) {
+        printf("ERROR: TmThreadCreatePacketHandler for Outputs failed\n");
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+    }
     SetupOutputs(tv_outputs);
 
     if (threading_set_cpu_affinity) {
@@ -2620,6 +2656,10 @@ int RunModeFilePcapAuto(DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, char *file) {
 
     ThreadVars *tv_outputs = TmThreadCreatePacketHandler("Outputs",
         "alert-queue1", "simple", "packetpool", "packetpool", "varslot");
+    if (tv_outputs == NULL) {
+        printf("ERROR: TmThreadCreatePacketHandler for Outputs failed\n");
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+    }
     SetupOutputs(tv_outputs);
 
     if (threading_set_cpu_affinity) {
@@ -2781,6 +2821,10 @@ int RunModeFilePcapAutoFp(DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, char *file) {
 
     ThreadVars *tv_outputs = TmThreadCreatePacketHandler("Outputs",
         "alert-queue1", "simple", "packetpool", "packetpool", "varslot");
+    if (tv_outputs == NULL) {
+        printf("ERROR: TmThreadCreatePacketHandler for Outputs failed\n");
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+    }
     SetupOutputs(tv_outputs);
 
     if (threading_set_cpu_affinity) {
@@ -2906,6 +2950,10 @@ int RunModeFilePcapAuto2(DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, char *file) {
 
     ThreadVars *tv_outputs = TmThreadCreatePacketHandler("Outputs",
         "alert-queue1", "simple", "packetpool", "packetpool", "varslot");
+    if (tv_outputs == NULL) {
+        printf("ERROR: TmThreadCreatePacketHandler for Outputs failed\n");
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+    }
     SetupOutputs(tv_outputs);
 
     if (threading_set_cpu_affinity) {
@@ -3131,6 +3179,10 @@ int RunModeIpsIPFWAuto(DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx) {
 
     ThreadVars *tv_outputs = TmThreadCreatePacketHandler("Outputs",
         "alert-queue1", "simple", "packetpool", "packetpool", "varslot");
+    if (tv_outputs == NULL) {
+        printf("ERROR: TmThreadCreatePacketHandler for Outputs failed\n");
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+    }
 
     if (threading_set_cpu_affinity) {
         TmThreadSetCPUAffinity(tv_outputs, 0);
@@ -3355,6 +3407,10 @@ int RunModeIpsNFQAuto(DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, char *nfq_id) {
 
     ThreadVars *tv_outputs = TmThreadCreatePacketHandler("Outputs",
         "alert-queue1", "simple", "packetpool", "packetpool", "varslot");
+    if (tv_outputs == NULL) {
+        printf("ERROR: TmThreadCreatePacketHandler for Outputs failed\n");
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+    }
 
     if (threading_set_cpu_affinity) {
         TmThreadSetCPUAffinity(tv_outputs, 0);
@@ -3555,6 +3611,10 @@ int RunModeIdsPfringAuto(DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, char *iface) {
 
     ThreadVars *tv_outputs = TmThreadCreatePacketHandler("Outputs",
         "alert-queue1", "simple", "packetpool", "packetpool", "varslot");
+    if (tv_outputs == NULL) {
+        printf("ERROR: TmThreadCreatePacketHandler for Outputs failed\n");
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+    }
 
     if (threading_set_cpu_affinity) {
         TmThreadSetCPUAffinity(tv_outputs, 0);
@@ -3703,6 +3763,10 @@ int RunModeErfFileAuto(DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, char *file)
 
     ThreadVars *tv_outputs = TmThreadCreatePacketHandler("Outputs",
         "alert-queue1", "simple", "packetpool", "packetpool", "varslot");
+    if (tv_outputs == NULL) {
+        printf("ERROR: TmThreadCreatePacketHandler for Outputs failed\n");
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+    }
     SetupOutputs(tv_outputs);
 
     if (threading_set_cpu_affinity) {
@@ -3864,6 +3928,10 @@ int RunModeErfDagAuto(DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx, char *file)
                                     "alert-queue1", "simple",
                                     "packetpool", "packetpool",
                                     "varslot");
+    if (tv_outputs == NULL) {
+        printf("ERROR: TmThreadCreatePacketHandler for Outputs failed\n");
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+    }
     SetupOutputs(tv_outputs);
 
     if (threading_set_cpu_affinity) {