ABSTRACT
The failure of appliances or equipment should not be investigated by the forensic engineer unless there are substantive reasons to do so. Simply because an appliance or a piece of equipment fails, it may not be investigated. For example, if a refrigerator stops working after 20 years of service, it probably would not be analyzed for the cause of the failure because its warranty would have run its course and because its life expectancy of the refrigerator may be over. The warranty period for equipment varies from state to state and may be related to the statutes of repose for a particular state in this country or to a particular country.
