My nephew has a 1998 Cadillac Deville. Yesterday he was sitting still and smelled smoke. Under the rear seat he found a motorola HDT5SZ1 which was burnt and I believe a wiring harness which is also burnt. I believe this is a voice command module. The car now has no power at all. We are non mechanics and hoping someone can tell me what we should do next or what it would take to fix it. Cash is very tight for him and he can't afford to take it in to be looked at.

 

That's not pretty. I guess be happy it didn't start a fire. It sounds like it blew a main fuse or fuses somewhere, wherever it was wired into. Be sure to disconnect the battery first thing before poking around in there. I would highly recommend a professional if you are not comfortable with wiring, as this is a dangerous situation.

First thing you will have to do is remove all of that mess of wiring and module. Don't just cut anything - make sure you disconnect it from wherever it's tapped into. It's anybody's guess where they found power, but I'm guessing it wasn't fused properly hence the meltdown. If you follow the added wires, you should find the starting points. Once you are sure all of the burnt wiring and added on pieces are gone, then check out your fuses to find out what is blown. You might need a meter to test for power and find where it's getting to.