diff --git a/neutron/plugins/nicira/NeutronPlugin.py b/neutron/plugins/nicira/NeutronPlugin.py
index 3f74ac1d36..cf49b4c69a 100644
--- a/neutron/plugins/nicira/NeutronPlugin.py
+++ b/neutron/plugins/nicira/NeutronPlugin.py
@@ -1420,8 +1420,9 @@ class NvpPluginV2(addr_pair_db.AllowedAddressPairsMixin,
             r['id'] = lrouter['uuid']
             # Update 'distributed' with value returned from NVP
             # This will be useful for setting the value if the API request
-            # did not specify any value for the 'distributed' attribute
-            r['distributed'] = lrouter['distributed']
+            # did not specify any value for the 'distributed' attribute.
+            # Platforms older than 3.x do not support the attribute
+            r['distributed'] = lrouter.get('distributed', False)
         except nvp_exc.NvpInvalidVersion:
             msg = _("Cannot create a distributed router with the NVP "
                     "platform currently in execution. Please, try "
diff --git a/neutron/tests/unit/nicira/test_nicira_plugin.py b/neutron/tests/unit/nicira/test_nicira_plugin.py
index 2be1b37f78..467eb6a84f 100644
--- a/neutron/tests/unit/nicira/test_nicira_plugin.py
+++ b/neutron/tests/unit/nicira/test_nicira_plugin.py
@@ -548,6 +548,17 @@ class TestNiciraL3NatTestCase(test_l3_plugin.L3NatDBTestCase,
     def test_router_create_distributed_returns_400(self):
         self._test_router_create_with_distributed(True, None, '3.0', 400)
 
+    def test_router_create_on_obsolete_platform(self):
+
+        def obsolete_response(*args, **kwargs):
+            response = nvplib._create_implicit_routing_lrouter(*args, **kwargs)
+            response.pop('distributed')
+            return response
+
+        with mock.patch.object(
+            nvplib, 'create_lrouter', new=obsolete_response):
+            self._test_router_create_with_distributed(None, False, '2.2')
+
     def test_router_create_nvp_error_returns_500(self, vlan_id=None):
         with mock.patch.object(nvplib,
                                'create_router_lport',