Mazda Repair: Millenia front end, inner tie rods, cv axles

Question
I have a 99 Millenia 2.5 base car with 70k miles,AT etc. Car has been great up to now and the 5th Mazda Ive owned new.However, all of a sudden in the last 3 months I have needed to replace all 4 tires,prematurely due to abnormal wear, front struts, front half cv axles and cvboots and now Im told front rack and tie rod ends. The latest after I heard a couple of odd intermittent knocks at floorboard level when turning a wide left turn. Mechanic said the steering had too much play and recommended this work at $1500. I also have a small but consistent fluig leak up front on the left which seems to either be steering fluid or trans fluid still tbd. I am wondering if this is a standard problem with Millenias and if this car is prone to front end issues....also I am wondering if this rack does need to be done if its a short term saftey issue...the steering seems fine to me.  Lastly, what kind of mileage/lifespan should I epxect from this car...ll the rest have gone over 100-125k. I change oil etc every 3k and othewise have had no problems up to now.

Thx.

Answer
Hi Wade thanks for asking, as far as oil leaks go, its not good for anything to be leaking, rack and pinions are common for leaking at the seals inside the boot for the inner tie rod end, and you must have some front end parts gone if the tires are wering out that fast. Even 1 blown tie rod can cause the tire to cock inwards or outward and drag the tire down the road while you are driving, causing severe and quick tire wear, Wut ever is needed in the front will have to be replaced and a 4 wheel thrust allignment will have to be done as well, For a 1500 dollar bill they have better be replacing the rack and pinion, thats a hefty bill for just being a couple of tie rods or ball joints, If this is only a slow leak at therack then if you are happy with topping of the fluid every once in a while then it is ok to drive it like that as long as the inner tie rods do not have any play in them. just replace the loose componets and do the alignment and you should be ok for a while
good luck
Chris P