I hear ya on the horror stories....I have had issues before but they were caused by an abnormal event.
If the motors are sized properly for the equipment I can't see there being a problem under normal conditions. Having a dust collection boot hang up on the edge of the table or fence, for example, is not normal......not that it's ever happened to me....
Squaring the gantry during referencing is a consideration and a must with open-loop, independent drives.
Scott