Recourse
Any house with a septic tank should have a soil analysis when it was built. The soil analysis establishes if the ''soil perks'' enough for a septic tank. This analysis is required before a septic tank can be built.
The soil analysis is just a test, and it comes back with a number, and the professional who does the analysis does not really have any liability, because all they certify is that the soil meets the ''perk test'' at the time of testing.
If you have reason to believe that the previous home owner was aware of septic tank failure (more specifically drainage field failure) then a civil action (read: lawsuit) is the recourse. A civil action can force the discovery of anyone the previous owner called for drainage repairs, and can get depositions from all professionals who had dealings with the previous home owner. From their testimony you can then build the case that the previous home owner knew of a major defect in his property and deliberately concealed it when he sold the house to you.
A rough estimate would be that theses depositions would cost you up-front about ten thousand dollars, and your lawyer may want another five to really get into it.
A good strategy would be to investigate a little, and get some informal indications as to who had any dealings with the former owner, and what their opinions were of the drainage field. If these indications are favorable to your case, then proceed and plunk down the money. If it was a deliberate action, you could sue for triple damages, the damages being the cost of a new system plus all the inconvenience, etc.
Just an idea.