zero chance of these working after a decade of rusting.

I'd guess that without frequent checks and lubrication that these won't work past a winter or two.

I had new kitchen windows installed that had a crank to open/close.

The guy installing the window told me to open/close the window a few times a year to ensure that the mechanism doesn't freeze up.

That's just one simple mechanism that's not exposed to the environment -- imagine thousands of components that gets rained on, dust & grit working its way into every nook and cranny.

I have a Giant Leveling ladder thats stored in a dry garage. I have to keep the joints lubricated with something like WD-40 once or twice a year so that I can open the ladder otherwise it freezes shut.