Power Steering Linkages Drag problems of the 1996 Volkswagen Jetta

The steering in this 1996 Jetta is just horrible, no mechanic has been able to repair it. Im told there is something on the wheel base torn (rear) and its going to cost me 800 to fix. Yet, the steering has been this way since ive had the car and I hardly noticed until I rented a car (because the crank shaft in the Jetta broke too). This car has never been in a collision or any major trama to have anything torn, it only has 66,000 miles on it, yet ive had to replace the crank shaft, last week the entire computer, 2 years ago the entire engine fell to the ground (my land lord discovered) and now the steering. I thought vws were supposed to be well built cars.