Table:
|  |  | Fiscal Years |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
| Balance — beginning of year | $5,756 | $3,672 | $1,039 |
| (Divested)/acquired | — | (49) | 952 |
| Provisions/(expense) | (3,053) | 1,865 | 1,737 |
| Direct charges/(payments) | 570 | 268 | (56) |
| Balance — end of year | $3,273 | $5,756 | $3,672 |
Paragraphs:
16. PRODUCT WARRANTIES
We establish a product warranty liability at the time of revenue recognition. Product warranties generally have terms of 12 months and cover nonconformance with specifications and defects in material or workmanship. For sales to distributors, our warranty generally begins when the product is resold by the distributor. The liability is based on estimated costs to fulfill customer product warranty obligations and utilizes historical product failure rates. Should actual warranty obligations differ from estimates, revisions to the warranty liability may be required.
Product warranty liability activity is as follows (in thousands):
Question:
In which year was Balance — beginning of year less than 5,000 thousands?
Answer: Because locate and analyze Balance — beginning of year in row 3, the answers are: 2018, 2017.