No, the tailgate lock operates independently when keyed from the back.

The strut mounts do break where the rubber is bonded to the sleeve. That is visible when you bounce the car while looking under the retaining nut. Also it will be obvious in comparing the two sides (unless they are both broken). They usually make noise when they are broken. One of mine broke at about 130,000 and the other looked close. What are the symptoms of bad spring seats? Can you hear when you turn or when they bounce? Just make sure you're not hearing the stabilizer bar links (which also go bad fairly often).