Lambert had the death fork too, before it became Viscount. Also the Lambert-branded running gear, which was kinda cool but definitely not cutting edge in terms of performance. Also unconventional bottom brackets which many considered problematic. I think Lambert/Viscount/Viking's real problem was simply not selling enough bikes at a high enough price to stay solvent.

Trek also had a 'death fork' in the early 80's. Not an aluminum one, but supposedly enough examples of that particular model failed to get a bad rep.