Wheel deflector bracket and method

A vehicle subject to a vehicle external force event and having a wheel, a door, and a body structure including a door hinge for hingedly supporting the door on the body structure, the vehicle comprising:

• a bracket disposed between the wheel and the door hinge, attached to the body structure, and configured to deflect a force from the wheel to the body structure and away from the door hinge during such vehicle external force event;
• wherein the bracket is not connected to the door hinge so that none of the force from the wheel is applied to the door hinge.

A method to deflect a force from a wheel of a vehicle having a body structure, a door, and a door hinge, toward the body structure and away from the door hinge, comprising:

• sufficiently configuring a force deflecting bracket to at least extend outboard of the body structure forward of the door hinge;
• and
• attaching the force deflecting bracket to the body structure such that the force deflecting bracket is not connected to the door hinge so that the force from the wheel is deflected to the body structure and away from the door hinge by the force deflecting bracket and none of the force from the wheel is applied to the door hinge.