metal panel

Do I have to replace the metal panel under my lower dash. What is it
for?

Had to take apart the under-dash on my 2000 Toyota Solara, like a
Camry, and under the plastic is a pressed steel panel (I can go
measure the thickness, but I can't flex it with my hands.) whose only
purpose afaict is to hold the OBDII connector, unless it reinforces
the whole car from beniding or creaknig.

20 years ago when all he other streets were ice-free already, I slid
on black ice (that was shaded by trees, I guess) on the inside of a
curve and went headlong into the oncoming car. He wasn't hurt and
neither was I except for a sore knee, that needed ice and a day's
rest. But I noticed the plastic lower dash panel was broken, on the
same side of the steering wheel as the aching knee.. I was wearing
the standard 3-point lapbelt and shoulder belt, and it's obvious I
slid under them and my knee hit the panel and broke it.

It was plastic, but if it were steel, it probably would have broken my
kneecap, or worse. Why does this car have a metal panel under the
plastic and what will I lose by not replacing it? Thanks.


(The seat belts are a little better now. This car has a pretensioner
which, if it works, will take the slack out of the belt in a head-on
collision, which is supposed to lessen sliding under the belt, and the
next collision will probably be entirely different anyhow, but I don't
see much point to metal plate in the first place.)

"micky" wrote in message
> Do I have to replace the metal panel under my lower dash. What is
> it
> for?
>

Search for the words including quotes...
"Knee Bolster" accident

....or here is some info...

OPTIMISATION OF KNEE BOLSTER LOADING...
http://www.altairhyperworks.co.uk/ht...er5_Jaguar.pdf

On Tue, 13 Sep 2011 08:55:20 -0700, "Bill"
> wrote:

>"micky" wrote in message
>> Do I have to replace the metal panel under my lower dash. What is
>> it
>> for?
>>
>
>Search for the words including quotes...
> "Knee Bolster" accident
>
>...or here is some info...
>
>OPTIMISATION OF KNEE BOLSTER LOADING...
>http://www.altairhyperworks.co.uk/ht...er5_Jaguar.pdf


I'll do that. Thanks. I cam across the one piece that wasn't with
my old car when I sold it, to a guy who will part it and junk it..
That was the lower dash on the left side, with the hole for the fuse
box. . (It was out while I made changes to the burglar alarm) . How
surpised I was to see that the plastic was bonded to a metal plate.
(The plastic had a couple studs that went through the metal and were
melted down to hold the metal in place.)

It was the other side of the steering column where I hit my knee, and
since the car is gone, I can't easilty check if it had a metal panel
behind it. But I'll look for a similar car and ask the owner if I
can check. The plate in the Solara goes under the steering column
adn all the way to the right.

Certainly there was no metal right behind the part of the plastic
thatt broke off.