Part of the reason for all the recalls and failures in modern vehicles is the extreme complexity and various regulations that didn't exist back when.
Carburetors have their problems, and electronic fuel injection is great all day long, if all the related sensors are working as intended. Ignition systems with points had their issues as well and electronic ignitions systems with all their capabilities are also great as long as all the sensors, etc. are working as intended.
In the older vehicles, there were a few wires you needed to check if mice were a problem, today's vehicles have a million miles of wire that mice seem to love to chew on.
Small engines were the last ones to get significant emission regulations and those regulations are in part responsible for significant changes in the small engine manufacturer ability to produce products, of course the other is engines coming from China.
