Another question (steering this time)

I have another question about a problem that the dealreship claims doesn't exist.
About a month ago I was out in the desert on a gravel trail. As I was making a three (or 4 or 5) point turn The front wheels got bogged down in gravel. The steering made a growling noise, then felt extremely loose. The steering remained loose for a while, clearing up after I returned to pavement.
Since then, the steering will growl while making tight turns, such as U-turns or in parking lots. Occasionaly it will go loose for a short period of time, then tighten back up.
The two times I've had it in to the dealership they have claimed that they have inspected the entire steering system and cannot find a problem. They say that the growling noise is a typical Rodeo noise.
Is this something that is a problem, or is it normal? Is my front end going to implode the next time I go off-road :shock: ?

TIA,
Shannon