I have had both the 14.5 (which I regret selling) and currently own the 10.5". Never had an issue. It's actually my loaner gun I give to students who have their rifles crap out (NEAs) or are looking to see if the black gun market is suitable for them. It has NEVER had a failure.
As a side story, a student had purchased a 10.5" Norinco and was shooting along quite nicely. Once every 4 or 5 mags, it would fail to feed. It seemed like it was short stroking. The student had mentioned that it was brand new and his first time shooting it. I asked if he cleaned and lubed it before bringing it out (which everybody had been advised to do). He had a blank look on his face. I opened it up, and low and behold, the packing grease and desiccant bag was still in the upper. I was shocked that the thing ran in the first place. Moral of the story? It's a pretty reliable gun, even when you treat it like crap.
I treat mine like that too. It isn't pretty. The fit and finish is not on par with anything you could buy in the free world, but the current ones are better than the old ones. But looks are secondary to function, and my experience is that they function perfectly.