2000 DODGE STRATUS — STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS

WHEN I FIRST PURCHASED MY VEHICLE, EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL AS CAN BE. I MEAN IT HAD MINOR PROBLEMS BUT WERE QUICKLY FIXED. AFTER ABOUT 5 IN A HALF MONTHS OF HAVING THE CAR, I NOTICED IT STARTED HAVING A BURNING SMELL TO IT AFTER CRANKING UP AND AFTER DRIVING IT FOR A WHILE, A SMALL AMOUNT OF SMOKE WOULD APPEAR. AT FIRST I THOUGHT NOTHING OF IT, BUT THEN IT RAN HOT ONE DAY. SO I HAD THE VEHICLE INSPECTED BY A CERTIFIED MECHANIC. HE CONCLUDED THAT IT COULD BE TWO THINGS. ONE IS THAT THE SMELL WAS COMING FROM THE ENGINE AREA BUT TOLD ME DON'T BE ALARMED BECAUSE IT MAY JUST BE OIL DRIPPING ON THE ENGINE IN WHICH WHEN THE ENGINE IS HEATED, COULD CAUSE THE SMELL AND SMOKE, OR TWO I NEEDED MY POWER STEERING HOSE LOOKED AT. SO HEARING IT FROM SOMEONE OF HIS STATUS I WENT ALONG WITH IT. THAT IS UNTIL A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER WHILE I WAS ON MY WAY HOME FROM PLAYING BASKETBALL, I NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE, BUT THIS TIME IT WAS DARK BLACK SMOKE AND IT WAS COMING FROM ALL AROUND THE FRONT OF THE CAR. SO I IMMEDIATELY TRIED TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD (NOTE:I WAS ON A MAIN STREET WITH HEAVY TRAFFIC), BUT WHEN I TRIED THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD MOVE/TURN AT ALL. THEN SUDDENLY BEFORE I COULD GET OUT OF THE CAR, IT JUST BURST INTO FLAMES. I STRUGGLED THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND JUMPED OUT UNTIL IT ROLLED INTO A COMPLETE STOP ON THE SIDE OF A POLICE STATION. MY CAR IS TOTALED OUT. AND I HAVE BEEN WITHOUT ONE FOR BOUT 4 MONTHS NOW. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. DAIMLER CHRYS