Abstract: An airbag assembly includes a canister including a plurality of hooks disposed about a perimeter thereof and a chute having a plurality of spaced-apart windows extending therethrough to an interior, at least one hook being operably engaged with at least one window. The assembly further includes a reinforcing strip molded into the interior of the chute including a plurality of apertures aligned with respective ones of the plurality of windows and a steel door coupled with the reinforcing strip.

Abstract: An airbag assembly having a canister portion and a chute portion. The chute portion has a plurality of windows in order to engage hooks of the canister portion. In order to reinforce the hook and window engagements, an insert molded reinforcing strip is molded into the chute. The reinforcing strip may be more than one reinforcing strip or a single continuous strap molded around the entire perimeter of the chute. Another embodiment also includes a hinged steel door insert molded into the bottom surface of the chute providing additional reinforcement to the body of the chute.