Iv got a merc. tracer "same as escort" , Went out to drive it today, started going down the road and realized the steering wheel is cocked to the left, but when i take my hands off the wheel the car goes perfictley stright.... The car got stuck in mud yesturday and I was spinning the tiers alot...... will this have any effect as to why my steering wheel is cocked left!!! HELP ME!!!

eather you have irregular tire wear or when you were in the mud you knocked you car out of alignment

That has happened to me on a couple of my other front wheel drive cars. The rack and pinion steering assembly is bolted to the subframe, and if it gets nudged a tiny bit sideways, the wheel wont be turned straight ahead when the car is going straight ahead.
To fix it; I run the car onto ramps going as straight ahead as I can. Under the car I loosen the bolts holding the rack assembly to the subframe, and tap it sideways while my wife helps the steering wheel turn back to the straight ahead postion. Then I retighten the bolts.

I agree with denisond3's diagnosis ... the rack is moving inside the mounting clamps. But I would suggest picking-up (from the dealer) and installing a couple of new isolators (rubber rings) that go inside the clamps.

Not expensive, easy, ... and it'll make the fix more lasting.

Thank you guys it was the mounting clips... It works grate "thanx lots"