A very firm "no" to the first issue - these trees are perfectly well suited to growing in full sun just about anywhere!! Second, maples are prone to any number of issues, as are many other species of trees, but there is no 'maple plague' going around :-) Finally, it is just speculation at this point but it is certainly possible that the problem is related to the initial planting........too deeply, girdling roots, soil pH too alkaline, packing material left in place, etc.

You would get more detailed feedback from some very experienced tree folks if you were to post this - together with photos of the trees, including the base - in the Trees or the Maples forum.

btw, Autumn Blaze is a Freeman maple (Acer x freemanii), a cross between a red maple (Acer rubrum) and a silver maple (Acer saccharinum).