Abstract: A bulkhead separating an engine compartment from a driver compartment of a motor vehicle is provided with an intentional buckling zone. The buckling zone is arranged so that a frontal impact moves the bulkhead and a bearing mount for pedal levers in such a way that the pedal levers are moved away from the operator. In one embodiment the buckling zone is produced by weakening the bulkhead material by making it thinner or providing holes or tucks in the material. When the buckling zone buckles in a frontal collision the bearing mount pivots upwardly, moving the pedal levers away from the vehicle operator.

Abstract: In the described embodiments, a telescoping safety steering column is supported by two mounts and is inclined to the horizontal so that a change in distance between the steering column mounts upon collision will normally cause a change of position of the steering wheel and/or a steeper inclination of the steering column centerline. To avoid this, a rearwardly inclined control member is connected at a lower end to an inclined floorboard and at its upper end to the support for the lower part of the steering column, thereby transmitting relative rearward motion of the floorboard to the lower steering column mount and forcing the latter upward. Thus, the steering column centerline always remains at the same inclination.

Abstract: An underbody for a motor vehicle has side rails with inclined portions and parallel sills and a floor panel joined by a transverse support arrangement which is spaced apart from the side rails for acoustic decoupling. In order to form positive interlocks in the case of a crash-induced offset of the inclined side rail portions, the transverse support arrangement has projections that become engaged in corresponding recesses in stiffening plates attached to the inclined side rail portions.