Virginia,

My father-in-law's 1999 XC had the same problem, at I think 50K miles. The leather clad steering wheel was taupe in color. The wheel became sticky to the touch. I contacted one local dealer (where the car was occassionally serviced) to ask if there had been a recall on the wheel for this problem. The service representative, who I had dealt with previously, said "No". I called another dealer located about 25 miles away, where I occassionally had my father-in-law's car serviced. The service manager said there was a recall on the steering wheel and it would be replaced without cost.

I used to put Lexol on the leather steering wheel to clean and protect the leather. When the wheel became sticky, I thought it was my fault for putting the leather cleaner and presevative on it (Lexol). Apparently, it wasn't the cause for the deterioration of the wheel. However, since the wheel was replaced without charge, I haven't put any leather cleaner or preservative on it. I don't want to risk it. I hope this is helpful.

Hugh