A 1/2 inch of play is acceptable. More than that and there is a mechanical issue. With the year of your burb, I'd suspect the steering box. How many miles on it? I replaced the steering box on my 93 earlier this year after it broke following a curb jumping incident. It failed about a couple of weeks after the contact with the curb. Luckily it happened when I was backing up at slow speeds. It could have been a handful at highway speeds.
Any good suspension shop should be able to diagnose it for you.