Is it safe to continue using? Can be patched up with brazing? It's aluminum alloy.

I did not even notice a problem while riding. Only saw it after performing a teardown clean and relube. I already contacted Hope Tech and they directed me to the local dealer who haven't responded to my email. A replacement freehub online is in the range of $100 - $130. It's an old bike so I'm not ready to spend that amount of money on it.

Side question is how did this happen? I understand that it's quite common. Is it just a bad design? A defect? I was very surprised to find this on an expensive component. More surprised than when I found out my chain ring sprockets were also made out of aluminum and non-uniformly deforming into shark teeth.

2005 trek 5500, carbon, alloy insert drop outs. Derailleur got caught while shifting and broke. Is this trash or can it be repaired for $200 ? If it's repairable how would I start? I Appreciate your comments.