On my attempt to pass Alberta Out of Province inspection the
mechanic failed my vanagon due to old rubber in the caster
strut bar (front) bushings.

Yes, the rubber is obviously old (1982), but still good and
springy enough to keep the front end tight.

The guy argued that old rubber can split suddenly and cause
catastrophic failure. I never heard of this happening to
any vanagon so I was sceptic.

What is the list experience with this? Anyone ever heard of
these rubber bushings failing suddenly and causing an accident?

Thanks,
Martin