1999 Ford Escort steering problems

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 20MPH, the steering wheel locked, the vehicle crashed and the air bags deployed but did not inflate. The vehicle proceeded to crash into 2 parked cars. Injuries were sustained to the driver and passenger's hands, back and feet. Both occupants were wearing seat belts. The police responded and provided a written report. The insurance company inspected and deemed the vehicle totaled. There was additional property damage to the parked vehicles.

I took my 99 ford escort to a auto repair shop to fix one front tie rod (another frequent problem on escort) and the mechanic told me that one of the spings in the rear suspension was broken. I did not notice anything different when driving and I don't know for how long it has been broken. The mechanic also said that this is a frequent problem with escort, and advised me to check the existance of a recall with a ford dealer. To this date (jan 2006) there is no recall.