It's not normal at all!!

It secures the tie rod and I believe it needs to be torqued down quite slightly to ensure proper steering, but it should def be present.

I dont think your tie rod will detach, but still me not likey when stuff is not present.

Also, check the plastic bod in the rack to see if there's any fluid around them. The rack is pretty big and there's many places where it can leak.

Since racks are $$$ I might be worthwhile to just remove the front and trace all the hoses you can think of, then if they are all ok, rack must be culprit.

 

Thanks man, I'll look into getting those bolts from the dealership ASAP.
As for my P/S the leak was quite profuse at the point where the lines meet the cooling pipe, so on the automotive mechanic's spirit of diagnosing from "simplest to more complicated" stuff... I'm going to upgrade the stock P/S cooler to the Hayden 401 Tranny cooler (just for kicks, since I got the whole car apart) and then see how it goes once it's all back together.

Thanks again, will keep posted after I'm done