Collapsible Steering Shaft Demystified

I can't imagine those factory pins would do a darn thing in a collision other than just break easily
That's the point. They shear but under a specific load, the FSM talks about not hammering on the shaft. They do a perfectly fine job of keeping the shaft aligned. Remember there is a dimension from the coupler to the dot on the shaft when adjusting the column in the car. The lower plate and the upper brake away slides have adjustability in them.

I agree making the break away (shear) force greater than design is not optimal but removing the same is also not optimal.

Choose your poison