Carburetor problems of the 1996 Chevrolet Astro

This is the second GMC vehicle I have owned that has has intake manifold gasket failure. I understand this happening when a vehicle has been mistreated, or is high mileage. But, at 55,000 miles, this shouldn't be happening. Ford has a similar problem in their 3. 8 l, and they are taking care of it. I would hope the NHTSA would check to see how many others have this intake manifold gasket problem. The cost is about $ 900 for both gaskets.