Just a couple of signs that others are thinking along these lines:
FedEx Jet Has Control Issues - WSJ.com
"U.S. and most foreign carriers phased out MD-11s from passenger operations partly because of their high fuel consumption and relatively short range. But some carriers, including Delta Air Lines Inc., became disenchanted with the plane's often touchy handling.
At one point, Delta's management took the unusual precaution of instructing all MD-11 pilots to manually fly the planes up to cruise altitude -- in order to better understand their handling characteristics. But with some software and other modifications, FedEx and other cargo carriers have come to depend heavily on MD-11 aircraft."
-and-
"Monte Thames, a retired FedEx pilot, said MD-11s were so notoriously "squirrely" to land that pilots routinely spent extra time in flight simulators practicing how to control the plane. "The MD-11 is one of those planes that can bite you real quick," said Mr. Thames, 62, of Germantown, Tenn."
then:
That Tragic MD-11 Safety Record
AN excerpt from a 2000 WSJ article (partially posted at above site)
"Yet sometimes, at low altitude, the opposite occurs: Pilots tell of pulling with all their might and finding the plane hardly responded. That can be a problem during landing. In several instances where pilots brought down their MD-11s too rapidly and tried to compensate at the last minute, they smacked the aircraft's tail on the runway or caused other damage.
That's what NTSB investigators reckoned took place in 1997 when FedEx pilots tried to land an MD-11 at Newark. The plane touched down too hard, bounced, rolled right, broke its right wing, flipped over and was destroyed by fire. The two pilots, who escaped, took most of the blame. But the safety board also raised questions about the plane's "stability and control characteristics," the design of its landing gear and why its wing broke off, a rare occurrence in similar hard-landing accidents."
Unofficial they all are, but I have been able to find numerous sources dating to before 2000 that were questioning of the MD-11 flight control system.
What's the saying - When there is smoke, there is usually fire.