High voltage charging is aborted when it is detected that a transformer providing the high voltage charge is impaired and is providing an impedance that is too low. In one instance, a voltage for a battery that provides power to the transformer is measured when the battery is substantially unloaded and a voltage is later measured when the battery is loaded during the high voltage charge. A dynamic threshold voltage is computed based on a chosen threshold impedance representing the impedance of the transformer and based the substantially unloaded voltage and on an internal resistance of the battery. When the loaded voltage is less than the threshold voltage, then the high voltage charging is aborted.