Vehicle door assembly

A vehicle door assembly, comprising:

• an outer panel having an inboard surface and an outboard surface, a door handle receiving area disposed in the outer panel being configured to receive a door handle;
• an inner panel having an inboard surface and an outboard surface, the inner panel being connected to the outer panel;
• a first stiffener member disposed beneath the door handle receiving area, a first end of the first stiffener member extending farther from a lower end of the first stiffener member in a direction substantially perpendicular to the lower end of the first stiffener member than a second end of the first stiffener member extends from the lower end of the first stiffener member in the direction substantially perpendicular to the lower end of the first stiffener member, the first end of the first stiffener member extending toward a longitudinal centerline of the door handle receiving area, an entirety of the first stiffener member being substantially L-shaped when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the outboard surface of the outer panel, the substantially L-shaped first stiffener member being defined by the first end and the lower end of the first stiffener member, the first end being a forwardmost end of the first stiffener member and the second end being a rearmost end of the first stiffener member in a longitudinal direction of longitudinal centerline of the door handle receiving area;
• and
• a second stiffener member disposed above the door handle receiving area, an entirety of the second stiffener member being spaced from an entirety of the first stiffener member.