

Is my buddy right about his pergola?
Hi, guys. My buddy has a large pergola over his deck in the PNW. He sent these images today and seems sure he needs to remove the entire structure because of cracks in the posts.
I'm not particularly knowledgeable about wood, but a google search leads me to believe this is called
"checking," and completely normal and safe to stay. He seems to think his posts aren’t experiencing the same issue as the links I sent him.
Can any of you fine ladies and gentlemen correct me if I'm wrong? I'm not sure how long it's stood so far, l'd guess at least ten years. I've added video on Imgur here:
Thanks!