diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/TransportActions.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/TransportActions.java
index 1de3ef1aea8..c05486d146a 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/TransportActions.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/TransportActions.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ package org.elasticsearch.action.support;
 
 import org.elasticsearch.ExceptionsHelper;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.NoShardAvailableActionException;
+import org.elasticsearch.action.UnavailableShardsException;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.IndexNotFoundException;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.shard.IllegalIndexShardStateException;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.shard.ShardNotFoundException;
@@ -34,7 +35,8 @@ public class TransportActions {
         if (actual instanceof ShardNotFoundException ||
                 actual instanceof IndexNotFoundException ||
                 actual instanceof IllegalIndexShardStateException ||
-                actual instanceof NoShardAvailableActionException) {
+                actual instanceof NoShardAvailableActionException ||
+                actual instanceof UnavailableShardsException) {
             return true;
         }
         return false;
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/replication/TransportBroadcastReplicationAction.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/replication/TransportBroadcastReplicationAction.java
index 42a83630a53..7f0d1b3bc69 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/replication/TransportBroadcastReplicationAction.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/replication/TransportBroadcastReplicationAction.java
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import org.elasticsearch.action.UnavailableShardsException;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.ActionFilters;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.DefaultShardOperationFailedException;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.HandledTransportAction;
+import org.elasticsearch.action.support.TransportActions;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.broadcast.BroadcastRequest;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.broadcast.BroadcastResponse;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.broadcast.BroadcastShardOperationFailedException;
@@ -90,7 +91,7 @@ public abstract class TransportBroadcastReplicationAction<Request extends Broadc
                     int totalNumCopies = clusterState.getMetaData().index(shardId.index().getName()).getNumberOfReplicas() + 1;
                     ShardResponse shardResponse = newShardResponse();
                     ActionWriteResponse.ShardInfo.Failure[] failures;
-                    if (ExceptionsHelper.unwrap(e, UnavailableShardsException.class) != null) {
+                    if (TransportActions.isShardNotAvailableException(e)) {
                         failures = new ActionWriteResponse.ShardInfo.Failure[0];
                     } else {
                         ActionWriteResponse.ShardInfo.Failure failure = new ActionWriteResponse.ShardInfo.Failure(shardId.index().name(), shardId.id(), null, e, ExceptionsHelper.status(e), true);
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/replication/BroadcastReplicationTests.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/replication/BroadcastReplicationTests.java
index 998b2a8485f..b77fe66b0a3 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/replication/BroadcastReplicationTests.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/replication/BroadcastReplicationTests.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ package org.elasticsearch.action.support.replication;
 import org.elasticsearch.Version;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.ActionListener;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.ActionWriteResponse;
+import org.elasticsearch.action.NoShardAvailableActionException;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.UnavailableShardsException;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.admin.indices.flush.FlushRequest;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.admin.indices.flush.FlushResponse;
@@ -94,13 +95,16 @@ public class BroadcastReplicationTests extends ESTestCase {
     @Test
     public void testNotStartedPrimary() throws InterruptedException, ExecutionException, IOException {
         final String index = "test";
-        final ShardId shardId = new ShardId(index, 0);
         clusterService.setState(state(index, randomBoolean(),
                 randomBoolean() ? ShardRoutingState.INITIALIZING : ShardRoutingState.UNASSIGNED, ShardRoutingState.UNASSIGNED));
         logger.debug("--> using initial state:\n{}", clusterService.state().prettyPrint());
         Future<BroadcastResponse> response = (broadcastReplicationAction.execute(new BroadcastRequest().indices(index)));
         for (Tuple<ShardId, ActionListener<ActionWriteResponse>> shardRequests : broadcastReplicationAction.capturedShardRequests) {
-            shardRequests.v2().onFailure(new UnavailableShardsException(shardId, "test exception expected"));
+            if (randomBoolean()) {
+                shardRequests.v2().onFailure(new NoShardAvailableActionException(shardRequests.v1()));
+            } else {
+                shardRequests.v2().onFailure(new UnavailableShardsException(shardRequests.v1(), "test exception"));
+            }
         }
         response.get();
         logger.info("total shards: {}, ", response.get().getTotalShards());