Steering Rack And Pinion problems of the 2002 Cadillac Seville

My vehicle started to feel as if the steering was a little loose a few months ago, at one point I thought I had a flat tire, but I brought the car to a tire shop and they verified my tires were fine and they could not see any visible problems or leaks. About a week later I was driving down highway 610 and I temporarily lost control of the vehicle when trying to switch lanes, and almost side swiped a truck. The loss of control was only during the turn of the steering wheel, I gained control when I straightened the steering wheel and continued on home. On October 13, 2012 I got into my car and put the car in reverse, and the vehicle's steering was even more loose. I turned the steering wheel to the right and the front end made a clunk sound and the entire vehicle shifted upwards when I proceeded to turn the wheel. A mechanic verified that a missing bolt damaged the mounting strap, which also damaged the rack and pinion.

Tl- the contact owns a 2002 Cadillac Seville. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph the steering wheel became loose. The contact parked the vehicle and allowed it to sit overnight. The following day, the contact attempted to reverse from her driveway when she heard a loud, abnormal noise. The contact drove the vehicle to a mechanic where they advised her that the there was a bolt missing that was causing the rack and pinion to bend. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that the vehicle was not included in any recall. The failure mileage was 165,000. Kmj.