For all you guys that track your car.....

[rene525d]

Wow, that sounds bad. I recall that once I found a mess near the back right wheel well where some sort of substance leaked and the wheel well was all wet from this fluid. When I touched with my finger, it looked to be black, however I am not sure if it's oil or something else, as it might have been black due to the dirt that it came into contact with. Would a PS fluid leak wet that area?

[ChrisZang]

Yes, that "smells" like PS pump
A lot of newbies (including me) have the habit of "sawing" on the steering wheel. That would be a sure way to overheat the PS pump

[Jittsl]

Originally Posted by rene525d

Wow, that sounds bad. I recall that once I found a mess near the back right wheel well where some sort of substance leaked and the wheel well was all wet from this fluid. When I touched with my finger, it looked to be black, however I am not sure if it's oil or something else, as it might have been black due to the dirt that it came into contact with. Would a PS fluid leak wet that area?

Will not be PS fluid as the system all resides on the other side. While you have your car up and apart as per my previous recommendation. Remove the entire fender liner and see if you can locate the source. The oil filler tube (which someone else mentioned can fail) along with the cooling reservoir (which often fails) reside just above that fender in the trunk. Also possible (although unlikely) that it could be a brake fluid leak - usually you would notice this because your brakes wouldn't work. Was the mess on the ground as well as in the fender or just in the fender? If just in the fender it may have been something you splashed off the road and not a leak at all. How long ago did this happen?