A converter apparatus includes: an AC/DC converter; a DC link capacitor connected to the converter; a voltage detection unit detecting the DC link voltage; a switching unit connecting or disconnecting between a power supply and the converter; a switching operation unit detecting an abnormality in a motor drive device including the converter apparatus and an inverter, and control the switching unit; a power supply monitoring unit detecting a voltage inputted to the converter to monitor a connection state between the power supply and the converter; a threshold value setting unit setting a threshold value to determine the presence or absence of a short circuit failure; and a short circuit failure detection unit determining that a short circuit failure has occurred, when the voltage of the DC link capacitor, immediately after the power supply is disconnected from the converter, is equal to or less than the threshold value.