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The performance of a large diesel engine piston has been investigated to determine a mechanism for the failures encountered during engine research testing. During engine testing, it was found that the pistons were failing to retain the ring groove insert and fracture of the top land above the insert was observed. The finite element analysis was performed on the piston to ascertain the combined thermal and mechanical stresses on the piston and its ring groove insert. Finite element models were employed to study the effects of a crack growing in the Alfin bond between the ring groove insert and the aluminum alloy of the piston. The data showed that as a crack in the bond between the ring groove insert and the aluminum alloy of the piston grows, the stresses in the bond area drastically increase.