The B-pillar is the vertical sheet metal structure that connects a vehicle's floor pan to the roof line, positioned directly behind the front doors. It houses the front seatbelt retractors and door strikers for the rear doors, providing roof crush resistance and side-impact protection. In hardtop and convertible designs, this pillar is completely omitted to create an open greenhouse.
The side impact pushed the B-pillar in by three inches, so they had to cut it out and weld in a new section.
When cutting a B-pillar during a heavy rescue or body repair, watch out for the high-strength boron steel and the seatbelt pretensioner charges hidden inside.
Also heard as
- center pillar
Related terms
C-pillar
The rear vertical roof support structure on a passenger car.
D-pillar
This structural roof support is the rearmost vertical post on station wagons, SUVs, and vans.
Unibody
A unibody is a vehicle construction method where the floor pan and body shell are welded into a single load-bearing structure.