Patent ID: 6955391

Claim:
In an automobile having an occupant compartment including a seat; and a door adjacent said seat and including an outer door panel, interior door trim having an upper portion including an armrest and a lower portion, and a side impact system including an energy absorbing mechanism housed between the outer member and said interior door trim to absorb energy from an external side impact into said outer door panel, the improvement comprising: said interior door trim being formed with a separation area to permit said energy absorbing mechanism to push toward said occupant compartment by said external side impact such that said upper portion is not moved inwardly with said energy absorbing mechanism, said separation area being defined by a separation line extending along said vehicle door below said armrest between said upper portion and said lower portion to permit said lower portion to physically separate from said upper portion substantially completely along said separation line so that all of said lower portion below said armrest can move inwardly with said energy absorbing mechanism into engagement with said seat without moving said upper portion toward said seat.