Vehicle engineering disputes require technical analysis grounded in vehicle design, manufacturing, testing, and certification. ESi's Vehicle Engineering team brings together engineers, mechanics, technicians, scientists, and researchers who have backgrounds in vehicle development, are well versed in product liability matters, and are ready to gather complex data and provide comprehensive analysis to our clients.
Our vehicle engineering practice is experienced across design, manufacturing, durability, quality, restraints, crashworthiness, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), and electric vehicle architecture. That depth of real-world experience distinguishes ESi's vehicle engineering consultants from generalist mechanical engineers, and it shows in the quality and defensibility of the findings they produce.
ESi has helped manufacturers worldwide address allegations of product defects or malfunctions related to design, production, and recalls. Our consultants have investigated matters such as unintended movement or acceleration claims, airbag non-deployments, component failures, loss of control, ADAS systems, rollover events involving ROPS, occupant kinematics, thermal events, and post-collision fuel-fed fires.
Meet Our Vehicle Engineering TeamVehicle Engineering Applications
Vehicle engineering investigations cover the full range of vehicle types, including passenger and commercial vehicles, electric vehicles, motorcycles, recreational products, bicycles, scooters, snowmobiles, personal watercraft, and agricultural equipment. The applications below represent the most common contexts in which ESi's vehicle engineering team is retained.
Product Defect & Recall Investigations
Allegations of vehicle product defects require engineering analysis that can withstand scrutiny from regulatory authorities and opposing experts. ESi has helped manufacturers worldwide address defect allegations across unintended movement, airbag systems, component failures, ADAS behavior, rollover events, and thermal incidents.
ADAS Investigations
Our vehicle engineering team applies specialized knowledge of sensors and software to investigate ADAS performance in incident conditions, assessing whether system behavior was consistent with design intent, applicable standards, and consumer expectations.
Regulatory Compliance
ESi evaluates vehicles and components for compliance with applicable industry standards and regulations, providing findings that support regulatory proceedings, recall assessments, and standard-of-care determinations.
Crashworthiness & Occupant Protection
ESi evaluates structural deformation patterns, restraint system deployment and performance, occupant kinematics, and injury biomechanics to assess whether a vehicle provided adequate protection in crash conditions or whether a design deficiency contributed to injury severity.
Component Failure Investigation
Vehicle component failures require materials engineering analysis to establish whether a failure originated in a material defect, a manufacturing deviation, or in-service damage. ESi characterizes failures at the high level of precision required for product liability and quality investigations.
Accident Reconstruction
ESi applies crash simulation, EDR and ECM data analysis, 3D scanning, and engineering analysis of vehicle dynamics to create a defensible account of the event sequence through integration of physical evidence, electronic data, vehicle performance parameters, and road conditions.
Engineering Clarity and Insight for Vehicle Challenges
Contact our Vehicle Engineering Team
Hernán Mercado-Corujo, Senior Director, Principal
ESi Vehicle Engineering Capabilities
- Industry Compliance
- Standard of Care
- Intellectual Property Investigations
- Six Sigma
- CT Scanning
- Material Analysis
- Geometric Distancing and Tolerancing
- Statistics
- Quality Assurance
- Quality Control
- Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)
Industries Served
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Why Clients Choose ESi
ESi’s vehicle engineering consultants are retained for complex matters where quality analysis determines the outcome of a matter. Our consultants’ OEM-level expertise, analytical methods, and expert witness capabilities are just some of the reasons why clients choose ESi as a forensic engineering partner.
ESi Multi-Disciplinary Platform
Vehicle engineering matters frequently require capabilities beyond the vehicle itself. ESi's vehicle engineering team operates within a firm that spans many disciplines, allowing complex multi-issue matters to be addressed within a single engagement.
OEM & Industry Experience
ESi consultants bring direct experience in vehicle design, manufacturing, durability testing, quality assurance, and defect containment—the same disciplines that govern how a vehicle's performance and safety are evaluated inside an OEM, providing credibility and depth of context.
Full-Spectrum Vehicle Coverage
Our vehicle engineering practice covers passenger and commercial vehicles, electric vehicles, motorcycles, recreational products, bicycles, scooters, snowmobiles, personal watercraft, and agricultural equipment, with the experience required to address varied technical standards, failure modes, and regulatory frameworks.
ADAS & EV Capabilities
Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and electric vehicle architecture are fast-growing sources of vehicle engineering disputes requiring expertise that many firms are still developing. ESi has investigated ADAS performance failures and EV incidents as established parts of its practice.
Advanced Laboratory Capabilities
CT scanning, 3D laser scanning, drone-based data collection, in-house materials testing, and crash simulation give ESi's vehicle engineering consultants the tools to examine evidence, reconstruct events, and quantify findings with precision.
Expert Witness With Courtroom Experience
ESi vehicle engineering consultants provide deposition and trial testimony and can defend opinions under cross-examination across product liability, accident reconstruction, and defect investigation matters in state and federal courts, backed by reports that meet applicable standards.
