Steering column support structure for vehicles

Claim 1

A support structure for a steering column assembly comprising an upper and a lower column tubes telescopically coupled to each other for journalling a steering shaft therein, said steering shaft having an upper and a lower shafts telescopically coupled to each other, energy absorbing means assembled with said column assembly for absorbing a forward impact energy exerted thereon from a steering wheel mounted on the upper end of said steering shaft during the axially relative displacements of said column tubes, a cowl panel member located under a front windshield of the vehicle and being a portion of the vehicle body structure, and a main support member secured to said cowl panel member, said main support member having at is front end a receiving portion spaced rearwardly isolated a given distance from a firewall located in front of the occupant compartment of the vehicle to function as a load reaction member, said upper column tube being releasably secured on the rear portion of said main support member and said lower column tube being rigidly secured at its front end on said receiving portion of said main support member to insure that said lower column tube may have no influence from any deformation of the firewall.