'01 X5 Diagnosis

[scchang]

'01 X5 4.4i abruptly became very difficult to steer. My wife thought flat tire, stopped and checked tires, no flat. She drove another mile and steering became more difficult, vehicle began to smoke and she stopped. When I arrived, I noted a large trail of fluid which didn't appear to be oil. I thought coolant. Under the hood, the coolant reservoir was empty but no sign of leakage around the reservoir. The fan belt was off and cracked. The fan appeared to be out of alignment. I'm thinking water pump failure but I can't reconcile the steering issue. There was also some golden looking fluid dripping from the opening beneath the transmission just behind a similar opening where the drain plug is located.Planning to have it towed to service center tomorrow. Any thoughts?