Becaue I'm first in line, I may make it past the noise, and some logic will be used before replacing the firewall as an attempt to cure the problem.

CHECK THE IDLER ARM because such steering problem is a textbook example of a bad idler arm. (They quit using idler arms because the design is a death trap.) Since hit-or-miss seems to be the norm, before you dump $5k into the problem, toss on an idler arm.

They are about $50, a fairly easy install, and installing them will not alter whatever "front-end settings" the vehicle currently has.