Clamping mechanism for fixing a steering column housing

Clamping mechanism for fixing a steering column housing of a motor vehicle, which is adjustable in a direction which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the steering column, said mechanism comprising a clamping bolt which is provided in the steering column housing, a lever with which the bolt can be tensioned and the column housing fixed, and at least one spring-loaded element provided between housing and bolt, the lever (10) and the bolt (4) are coupled by one or more pins (18) whose center lines are not parallel to that of the bolt (4) when the clamping mechanism is in a released condition, said pins being held by cups formed in the bolt and the lever, the pins being longer than the distance, measured along the length of the bolt, between said cups when said lever is in the released condition, and said pins exhibit a certain degree of tilting such that when the lever moves toward a clamping position the pins pass a position in which the center line of at least one of the pins is parallel with the center line of the bolt.