B&S 18.5hp issues resolved??

I know B&S had issues with these engines blowing gaskets, bending rods,smoking and so on. From all the research I have donr it seems like these issues were around 2010 to 2012 ish.... but I can't find real data on what years those engines were. People just talked about them in that time frame. My question. Is. Have they redesigned these engines so these issues no longer happen. I ask because the mower I'm looking to get has this engine in it the 18.5hp single cyl
OHV

Thank you very much

Take a deep breath.
Briggs made several million of these engines so a few hundred that give problems is not a lot.
You hear about the bad ones and not about the 10,999,852 that have worked flawlessly for 10 years.
IF the maintenance is carried out properly they rarely give any problems and if you fit a shut off valve in the fuel line, starve the engine off at the end of the season, remove the blower housing at the end of the season ( if not more regularly ) and change the oil at the end of the season you are unlikely to have any problems.
Most of the dead engines are because of owner negligence.
I got some promotional key tags made with 3" rings and when I return the mowers I hang the key over the dip stick.
If people dipped the oil every time they go to start the mower I would loose 1/3 of my work.
If people checked the valve lash every 200 hrs I would loose another 1/3 of my work.