Unfortunately, I often find die cast white metal gears inside newer equipment. No wonder stuff ends up in landfills so quickly.Wow, that's messed-up. Glad that all my tools are old and user serviceable, even if it means hunting NOS parts on fleabay.
I'm with Lord Cavendish- Glad most of my equipment is old-school. My tiller is about 45 years old. The steel gears are like brand new with no backlash at all.