i wonder if it's some how slipping on the steering shaft when turning the wheel hard. I just took my steering wheel off to fix a few things and normally you need a puller to get it off. But with just a few kick tugs and a bang it popped off the shaft. Heck i even put it back on with a impact and had to take it off a few hrs later (forgot something) and still didn't need to use a puller.
I would pull it and check the splines on the steering shaft.
