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In the 1980s, 3T and Cinelli warned users explicitly that handlebars had a service life dependent on usage. I do not remember what those limits were — perhaps 25,000km? — but it was significantly lower when used in competition.
HarmanMogul-
My Felt TT bars failed at speed, as I got out the saddle for a big grunt uphill.
It all seemed to happen in a microsecond, one moment, riding a bike, the next, in a ditch with mangled shoulder, less facial skin than usual and a lot of blood everywhere and a fractured cheekbone.
They had a LOT of miles on them, around 85,000 so I should have expected it, if I'd known they had a finite life.
I now have PlanetX carbon bars and the Felt has been retired. As was the Giro AirAttack helmet which was cracked in several places but did a great job.
GrahamLaming
Surprising conversation with a shop manager today about handlebars breaking where they meet the stem. Apparently aluminium handlebars should be regarded in the same way as chains and tyres, needing to be monitored and replaced every N km? News to me. I know (old, steel) rock climbing carabiners can develop micro fissures and fail catastrophically, but are properly manufactured and installed handlebars really also that vulnerable?