Patent ID: 7527327

Claim:
A uni-body frame subassembly for a motor vehicle provided with a towing hitch member, the frame subassembly comprising: a pair of spaced apart longitudinal rail segments positioned on opposite sides of a vehicle centerline and extending along a generally horizontal plane; a rear bumper beam joined to and transversely extending between the pair of spaced apart longitudinal rail segments; a towing hitch member mounted to the rear bumper beam adjacent to the vehicle centerline and extending below the generally horizontal plane; and a pair of external reinforcements extending below the horizontal plane, each attached to one of the spaced apart longitudinal rail segments at two longitudinally spaced apart locations, the external reinforcements placed adjacent to and forward of the rear bumper beam and having a longitudinally deformable central region; wherein the external reinforcements cooperate with the pair of spaced apart longitudinal rail segments to axially collapse in a controlled manner in response to a rear crash impact.