Patent ID: 8011690

Claim:
A vehicle body structure comprising: a pillar; a trim panel overlaying a portion of the pillar with the trim panel including a first trim portion and a second trim portion that is separable from the first trim portion along a predetermined separation line, the second trim portion having a pillar facing surface and a trim surface that defines a plane; a handle rigidly attached to the pillar at a first point and a second point by a pair of fasteners that extend through the trim surface of the second trim portion of the trim panel, the first point and second point being vertically spaced apart from one another; and an airbag disposed between the trim panel and the pillar such that in an undeployed condition the air bag is completely disposed between the plane and the pillar, and in response to deployment of the airbag the first trim portion completely separates from the pillar and the second trim portion along the predetermined separation line, the airbag extending along the pillar in an area alongside at least one of the first point and the second point and alongside an area between the first point and the second point in the undeployed condition, the first trim portion of the trim panel is restrained to a limited distance of movement away from the pillar in response to deployment of the airbag.