Steering Linkages problems of the 1996 Ford Aspire

My Aspire exhibited a number of component failures, and I consider myself lucky not to have been injured by them. In the first instance, the distriubutor failure occurred as I entered an intersection, and as a result the car stalled at the light not in the traffic lane. In the second instance, the steering component failure occurred on the highway resulting in significant vibration but I was able to control the car and take it into the dealer for repairs. In the third instance, the fuel pump failure caused the car not to start, but from what I understand, the part could have failed during operation and could have caused a stall. I consider myself lucky. Disappointed in the Aspire, but lucky.