Super short 1911's can have functional issues. I don't own a super shorty, only a 4", and I've only experience one problematic Para 1911 stubby, so I can't really speak to the reliability. I do know they tend to have more issue.
Kimber had some stumbles with the external extractors. I think they got all the problems fixed, but due to market pressure they are moving back to internal extractors.
For ME, I don't have an issue with internal -vs- external. I have 2 kimbers with internal, 3 with external. They all work great. Lot's of guns, even the vaunted glocks, use external extractors. Properly designed, they are less prone to problems than the internal, which relies on proper bending and flexing to work correctly.
However, the die hards 1911 guys love the internal, hence the move back to it.
AFA being concerned, like ANY gun - wring it out yourself, and see how she runs.