The consensus had to do with the factory installed bearing having insufficient clearance. HR initially denied it and then some customer service reps acknowledged it and most of the stories I heard were that HR was replacing the Crank/Rod assembly but nothing else. The issue appears to have been resolved in subsequent batches (no new stories of these breaking on recently manufactured parts) but was widespread none the less.
Some have re-installed the replacement HR setups without incident while others have sold the part and replaced with Barker/Vitos +4 assembly (which have also had a few failures, albeit fewer than HR and no systematic issues were found). The crank itself has been the fear with these pre-manufactured / no core required options. Those who maintain that fear have opted for OEM crankshafts with aftermarket rods from Carillo, Hot Rods or Barker who each make their own quality rods. If you want to maintain the increased stroke however you will need to find a shop, like falicon, crankworks, or others, who can modify the OEM crankshaft in house and properly balance it.
