A wireless charger output protection system and method is provided for protecting a battery in an electric vehicle during wireless charging. A wireless power transfer system includes a wireless charger on the electric vehicle side that receives power wirelessly from a charging base. The wireless charger output protection system and method shuts down the wireless charger output and dumps energy in a receive antenna (e.g., a vehicle pad) when a charging error is detected before the charging base can be shut down. The system and method employs a zero-voltage switching (ZVS) scheme to shut down the wireless charger output, in response to the charging error, to protect the switching devices and enhance overall reliability.