My steering wheel seemed a bit loose as I can move it around 1/4inch up, down, left, right due to a 360 degree fracture of the crimping in the column between the top of the steering column and the steering lock switch. The Green Book (Steering & Suspension) does not show this crimping but shows a metal band around the steering column where my crimping is. Maybe the crimping is to retain a ball bearing or brass or plastic bush in the column to centre the steering shaft and allow it to rotate. In any case the crimping is completely around the column and is indented about 1/8 inch which seems excessive to retain a bearing, but enough to stress the thin metal eventually giving fatigue fracture. It has nothing to do with the safety crumple "concertina" much further down the column.

Can the steering wheel shaft now come out of the column if I pull back on it hard when adjusting the seat and I loose steering? Since the steering column "concertina" compresses in a collision, the shaft inside the column must also compress by "splines" or similar and so can come apart when the column is fractured?

I would post a photo but have forgotten how to do this. Would appreciate any info on the steering fracture and how to post photo.