A door service hole cover includes a cover component that is configured to cover a service hole, and a shock absorption component that is integral to the cover component. The shock absorption component includes a cabin inner component, at least a portion of which projects from the cover component toward the inside of the cabin and which is hollow and open toward the outside of the cabin; and a fragile portion formed on a side surface of the cabin inner component and configured to allow the cabin inner component to crush and deform upon application of a force acting in the direction of projection of the cabin inner component. Upon application of a force acting in the direction of projection, the cabin inner component crushes inwardly and deforms while being twisted.

A carrier module for a motor vehicle door assembly having inner and outer panels defining a door panel structure with the inner panel having an opening for selective access to an internal door cavity between the inner and outer panels is provided. The carrier including an outer periphery configured for attachment to the inner panel to substantially close off the opening, and at least one reinforcement member fixed to the carrier, the at least one reinforcement member being formed of a material having a resistance to loading that is greater than a resistance to loading of a material of the carrier.

A vehicle includes a vehicle body and a reinforcing patch. The vehicle body component defines a cavity. The reinforcing patch is disposed within and attached to the vehicle body component. The reinforcing patch includes a substrate and a reinforcing body attached to the substrate. The reinforcing body has a first tab, a second tab, and a first slit between the first and second tabs. The slit is at least partially filled by the substrate.

A vehicle having an exoskeleton exterior panel that provides crash resistance is described. The exterior panel may be formed from a monolithic metal sheet and attached to an exterior portion of the vehicle frame, and the exterior panel does not comprise an additional support structure. At least one component may be directly attached to the exterior panel, and the exterior panel may bear the load of the at least one component. Methods of manufacturing the vehicle are also described.

A tailgate assembly mounted along an open edge of a vehicle's load carrying bed includes a frame having a first or proximal lateral side adapted to be hingedly connected for opening in a swing open mode and a second or distal lateral side oppositely positioned relative to the first lateral side. The tailgate assembly further includes a reinforcement frame component overlaid onto the frame at the first lateral side to increase torsional stiffness at or near the first lateral side.

A vehicle panel assembly for a motor vehicle includes a structural door panel body having an inner door panel and an outer door panel defining an internal cavity. A carrier module is secured to the structural door panel body. The carrier module has a carrier having an outer periphery for attachment to the inner door panel to substantially close off an opening therein to separate a wet side of the door panel body from a dry side of the door panel body and having a recessed pocket configured for receipt of a rear side of a speaker therein to maintain the speaker on the dry side of the door panel body. At least one of a barrier and shroud is coupled to the carrier. The barrier forms an air pocket with the carrier on a side of the carrier facing the wet side of the structural door panel body.

A side vehicle-body structure of a vehicle that suppresses displacement of a front wall portion of a center pillar to a vehicle-width-direction inner side with respect to a rear wall portion of the center pillar due to a side collision load. The side vehicle-body structure of the vehicle in which the center pillar does not exist on a body side includes a front door, and a rear door having a length in a front-rear direction shorter than a length of the front door in the front-rear direction. The rear door has a center pillar on a door side in a front portion, and a gusset member protruding from a rear wall portion of the center pillar to a door outer panel side with respect to an outer wall portion of the center pillar and having a receiving surface portion for a side collision load along the door outer panel.

A vehicular panel structure includes a panel, a reinforcement disposed inward of the panel in a vehicle, and mastic that bonds the panel and the reinforcement to each other. The reinforcement is provided with a body portion constituting a middle portion in a longitudinal direction and having a linear expansion coefficient smaller than the linear expansion coefficient of the panel, a connection portion constituting an end portion in the longitudinal direction, and a joining portion allowing the body portion and the connection portion to be joined to each other by a thermosetting adhesive and a fastener. A long hole portion is disposed in the reinforcement and is formed in either the connection portion or the body portion. The fastener is inserted into the long hole portion.

A vehicle-body structure of a vehicle comprises a front side door provided so as to open and close an opening portion for entrance which is formed by a vehicle-body frame member. The front side door comprises a door panel portion and reinforcement portions provided at a peripheral part of the door panel portion such that at least part of the reinforcement portions overlaps with the vehicle-body frame member in a vehicle side view, the reinforcement portions being configured to reinforce the door panel portion such that when a collision load is inputted to the front side door in a vehicle side collision, a connection state of the door panel portion and the vehicle-body frame member is maintained.

There are provided a vehicle-body frame member forming an opening portion for entrance at a vehicle side part and a front side door provided so as to open and close the opening portion. The vehicle-body frame member comprises a side sill, the front side door comprises a door panel portion provided with an inner lower portion which overlaps with the side sill in a vehicle wide view and reinforcement portions provided at three side-portions of a peripheral part of the door panel portion which are continuous and include the inner lower portion such that the reinforcement portions overlap with the vehicle-body frame member in a vehicle side view.