I think that used to be true more than it is now. They are made so much better in these days that I don't worry about that anymore. What I have is a 4X4 GMC truck (my fifth one) and I have never had an issue with any 4X4 for the past fifteen years. Previous to that time, I had issues with only one that I can remember, but it was the old manual type where you shift it to 4 wheel drive with a shift lever.
I always purchase the push button type now and change drives via the push button and they are just superior to the old type where you manually changed gear types.
The car I have is an all wheel drive vehicle (my third one of these) and I have had no issues with those either. I highly recommend the 4 wheel drive vehicles.
