Steering column shaft assembly having trunion pin retention features

An automotive steering column shaft assembly comprising:

• an upper shaft member having an end;
• a lower shaft member having an end adjacent said end of said upper shaft member;
• a universal joint coupling said joints together, said joint including a yoke fixed to one of said ends having laterally spaced walls, a cage disposed within said yoke having walls defining a socket, the other of said ends being disposed within said socket and retained therein by a pivot connection enabling the associated shaft member to articulate in a plane about an axis of said pivot connection relative to said cage;
• a pair of coaxially aligned bores having non-threaded bore walls extending through said cage and into said socket along an axis transverse to said axis of said pivot connection;
• a pair of associated bores formed in said yoke having threaded bore walls;
• and
• a pair of trunion pins disposed in said bores along said axis thereof in such manner as to couple said yoke pivotally to said cage to enable the associated shaft member to articulate in a plane transverse to the plane of the other shaft member about an axis of said trunion pins, said trunion pins having a non-threaded bearing portion accommodated within said bores of said cage, and a threaded retaining portion received within and engaging said threaded bore walls of said yoke to restrain said trunion pins against axial movement within said bores.