Having just read Frank Massey's article in this month's Aftermarket Magazine, while I understand what he's getting at, I'm not sure I fully agree. He says: It's not in a manufacturer's interest to design or have manufactured a component knowing it will fail prematurely'.
The operative word is prematurely, and how soon after manufacture a failure is to be regarded as premature. Quite apart from questionable design and execution, many manufacturers have opted to cut production costs by making parts down to a price rather than up to a standard.
This does not appear to be restricted to vehicles.
Is it in their interest? If it boosts profit, especially in the short term, then sometimes it must be, or they wouldn't do it.