Brian:
To be fair, many/most jets had teething troubles too. The inaugural PAA 747 flight JFK-LHR had JT9D hot starts from tailwind during lightup. The CF6-50 had compressor fires (abradeable epoxy LPC shrouds, titanium case,...). Did the RB ever lose its combustor foghorn during startup? Some problems were alleviated by procedural changes, most were finally resolved by improved engineering.