At about 16k miles, rear brake rotors warped. Is this a widespread problem?
Newer cars are using less robust rotors to save on weight and improve mpgs, plus newer cars are more powerful and if the driver takes advantage of that, they may have to brake more heavily too. All of which conspire to warp the brake rotors. Another reason is the wheels are not installed properly like when rotating the tires. I’m not seeing any recalls or customer interest bulletins on the rotors.
Usually the front brake rotors warp long before the rear. Once a month I see warped brake rotors on vehicles that are under warranty and those rotors are thicker and heavier than the rotors on my truck.
The problem where I live is that with multi-speed transmissions vehicles coast down mountain grades so well that people overheat their brakes, this (and street racing) is a common cause of warped rotors.