Do you remember the area you were attempting these missions in? I've noticed that, in Junkyard areas, the meteors trigger the explosive, destructible barrels that are all over the place. In other words, these missions are basically impossible in the Junkyard area.
On the whole, I find the change a huge improvement, personally. I'd still like for the stashes to be closer together or something, so that I'm not trying to juggle enemies, terrain, and meteors all at once, but yeah, way better than the previous incarnation.