Power Steering Failed Problems of Mercedes Benz E500

I was making a right turn onto a city street when I heard a click/ crack, the instrument panel lit up, and the steering wheel locked. I was not able to stop the car in time and hit a parked car. The engine did not turn off when this happened. It wasn't a case of the power steering failing because I was not able to turn the wheel at all (I do know what that feels like). I put the car in park, turned off the engine, surveyed the damage, then turned the car back on and was able to reverse it and park the car behind the accident. The steering was fine. After I collected myself, I drove the car around the block (residential area) and saw the car drove fine, except for the fact that I was just in an accident. I ended up having the car towed because the serpentine belt was rubbing against something, causing smoke, and I didn't want the belt to break. I was slightly injured in the crash. Because I was trying to turn the locked steering wheel, I injured my right elbow from the impact. My stomach muscles were also hurt, probably due to the flexing of my core as I was trying to yank the wheel back to the left to avoid the accident. As I stated earlier, these were very minor injuries. The airbags did not deploy. The main reason I'm reporting this is because I bought this car for my son to drive. And I cannot let him drive this car now, knowing that this can happen. Thank god he wasn't driving and it happened at low speed.

See all problems of the 2003 Mercedes Benz E500 🔎.