A method of implementing a remedial short in a rotating polyphase electric machine (EM) includes detecting a fault condition; and initially commanding a power inverter module (PIM) into an electrically-open state. Once in an open state, a controller may determine a phase angle of a current generated by the rotating EM, and may control the PIM to apply a voltage to the EM that is out-of-phase from the determined phase angle of the generated current. The magnitude of the applied voltage signal may ramped from a first voltage to zero over a period of time; whereafter the PIM may be commanded to electrically couple all of the electrical windings of the EM to each other.