Concerning the appliance, whatever it is, you would have a monumental argument with the manufacturer if the product was out of warranty surely. Most manufacturers just wash their hands (pun intended) once the warranty period runs out. Surely that has to be taken into account in this discussion, at least you take one party out of the equation. However if it was still in warranty when it caused the problem/damage you would need to look at the warranty provisions carefully. My guess is the manufacturer would have covered themselves for 3rd party damage. But………?