Not sure what kind of "pop" you're getting, but I feel a slight pop or click when I turn the wheel slightly off center. I can only hear it if the cabin is quiet and feel it if I'm steering from the bottom of the wheel.

Dealer spent a day on it and concluded it was a normal thing for my model/year. They said they disassembled the entire steering setup and found no cause for concern. Further, they checked several other similar year X's and found the same thing.

My dealer has always been fair with me and I don't have any reason to distrust, but that sounds a little not right.

Anyway, enough about me... hope this helps a bit.

BTW - 2001 4.4