[binoct]

It’s not so much that a weld _can’t_ be sufficiently strong to be safe in a steering column, it’s the QA and validation needed to be sure the weld was done properly. Obviously it’s possible the folks involved in this have the experience and equipment required to do that, but it’s unlikely.

Now, how much of a risk there is, and whether or not it should be allowed on public roads where the failure could kill them and/or other people is a question for the local society and legal system :)

[potato3732842]

The QA in this case is that the welder knows he doesn't suck and he knows when he does a good job. A 3/4 or so (approx the size most steering stuff is) shaft is going to be more than capable of handling steering wheel torque

Not everything needs to be treated like a nuclear reactor.

[binoct]

Luckily welders do not suffer from superiority bias.

[potato3732842]

With a competent welder it's basically never a question of whether or not the weld was good. It's a question of what's sufficient for the application. If you care enough you can make perfection happen but caring that much on everything is time consuming and unnecessary.

X-ray and other inspection processes are mostly there to force people to behave like they give a crap.