Yes, All column parts are made to fit one way only. Rack, intermediate shaft, lower and upper column sections and most OE Steering Wheels are all Keyed.
Upper Columns (Parts you see easily) are all the same for many GM cars and trucks. Basically Straight, Tilt, and Tilt/Telescope w/ minor changes for trans and shifter trim.
Lower tube section and it's shaft is "Fiero Only."
Intermediate shaft maybe "Fiero Only."
upper shaft installed on Tilt ball wrong would make OE SW mount 180° wrong way
A little "crooked" can be bad alignment causing the rack not centered.
SW pushing 90° or more off then often not just a bad alignment.
If you have SW play then isolate it... See my Cave,
SteeringNo play then Bent/Bad A arms and other parts can cause SW crooked. can still be Rack problems too. More so if someone took it apart and reinstall the pinon wrong.
Notes:
If the car have been jack up then move the car forward/backward a few yards to "unload" the suspension to normal loads to get driving etc. Jacking can cause odd loads when jacks are lowered.
Turn the SW while stopped can cause odd loads too. Is why Alignment machines have bearings in the lift bed that allow movement in 3 directions, sideways, front/back, and rotation.
Both can make Fake SW errors.
------------------
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)
The Ogre's Fiero Cave