diff --git a/Lib/test/test_import.py b/Lib/test/test_import.py
index cd8b4a4f3b1..57519015840 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_import.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_import.py
@@ -8,7 +8,8 @@ import sys
 import unittest
 from test.test_support import (unlink, TESTFN, unload, run_unittest, rmtree,
                                is_jython, check_warnings, EnvironmentVarGuard)
-
+import textwrap
+from test import script_helper
 
 def remove_files(name):
     for f in (name + os.extsep + "py",
@@ -253,6 +254,17 @@ class ImportTests(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual("Import by filename is not supported.",
                          c.exception.args[0])
 
+    def test_import_in_del_does_not_crash(self):
+        # Issue 4236
+        testfn = script_helper.make_script('', TESTFN, textwrap.dedent("""\
+            import sys
+            class C:
+               def __del__(self):
+                  import imp
+            sys.argv.insert(0, C())
+            """))
+        script_helper.assert_python_ok(testfn)
+
 
 class PycRewritingTests(unittest.TestCase):
     # Test that the `co_filename` attribute on code objects always points
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS b/Misc/NEWS
index faef735e203..780d6b1da4c 100644
--- a/Misc/NEWS
+++ b/Misc/NEWS
@@ -9,6 +9,10 @@ What's New in Python 2.7.2?
 Core and Builtins
 -----------------
 
+- Issue #4236: Py_InitModule4 now checks the import machinery directly
+  rather than the Py_IsInitialized flag, avoiding a Fatal Python
+  error in certain circumstances when an import is done in __del__.
+
 - Issue #10674: Remove unused 'dictmaker' rule from grammar.
 
 - Issue #10596: Fix float.__mod__ to have the same behaviour as
diff --git a/Python/modsupport.c b/Python/modsupport.c
index 6ee48f3f1e4..8bdec8b7924 100644
--- a/Python/modsupport.c
+++ b/Python/modsupport.c
@@ -34,8 +34,9 @@ Py_InitModule4(const char *name, PyMethodDef *methods, const char *doc,
 {
     PyObject *m, *d, *v, *n;
     PyMethodDef *ml;
-    if (!Py_IsInitialized())
-        Py_FatalError("Interpreter not initialized (version mismatch?)");
+    PyInterpreterState *interp = PyThreadState_Get()->interp;
+    if (interp->modules == NULL)
+        Py_FatalError("Python import machinery not initialized");
     if (module_api_version != PYTHON_API_VERSION) {
         char message[512];
         PyOS_snprintf(message, sizeof(message),