Hello John,
 
Sorry to learn of your troubles but it sounds like you have a good  sense of 
the issues. The devil is in the details and there is need to  withhold 
judgment until all of the factors are know. Lots of questions need  to be asked and 
answered before you can get to an accurate understanding  and diagnosis. 
 
There are many folks in this forum who have experienced your pain and can  
offer some comments once the microsections are done and viewable. Werner  
Englemaier has made such issues his life's work and I  am confident he will have 
some sage and valuable  advice.  
 
The microsections will tell likely the tale but the short answer to your  
question on plating is: Yes, plating thickness, coverage, quality  and ductility 
can all have marked effect on both robustness and reliability  and crack 
location is an indicator.   
 
With respect to the assembler you will want to know if there is  there an 
accurate and verifiable record of the processing parameters used.  It may are may 
not be part of the problem but it is a prospective piece of the  puzzle. 
 
Good luck
Joe   
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