It must be normal if you see a lot of it in the posts, that is normal for your supplier, replacing them with the same thing would probley get the same results.Western Red cedar is a little splitee any where you get it even if its klin dried. John

the cheese board.. where splits put you in a snit. Where cracks slap you in the back. Where checks, become a deck.
If the guy had any workmanship he would have sent back the posts and got new ones. I did this before with posts.
Called them right up, complained, and they picked up and delivered new ones that were like glass. Nice and tight. Yes, the new ones might crack but maybe they won't or won't for awhile.
Now that the guy has them installed, be prepared for a battle.
Wood splits are unpredictable epecially with cedar, pressure-treated... so, he will have good footing to smite any attack you may have. It all goes back to his originally decision to blow off the cracks and push ahead like the lazy SOB he is. lol

Thank you both for the quick responses! Thanks for the laugh gorillabuilder :)

I'll test the waters tomorrow morning with the deck guy and my builder and see how it goes...but it sounds like a fight that might not be worth fighting, especially since overall the construction and quality of the deck look very good to me.

rob,

I have built with outdoor cedar 4X4s before and have not experienced the splits you describe - even years later. To me, it sounds like a perfect description of pressure treated pine, not cedar! Pressure treated pine always spits and checks.

Cedar is valued for it dimensional stability and resistance to cracking and checking. I think cedar is best used for pretty indoor applications such as interior exposed beams and exposed ceiling planks. Those are applications where people do not walk on or bump into the soft cedar.

Because cedar is so stable it makes an excellent wood for exterior applications if it's caulked and painted properly.
I used 6 X 6 smooth cedar posts for the upper posts of the deck...theyre beautiful, some had some minor cracking which filler took care of easily. All my house exterior trim is cedar.....

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}