An attachment bracket for attaching one vehicle component, such as a headlamp housing, to another vehicle component includes a wall with an upper end flange and a rib structure defining stiffness along one axis of the vehicle component and having a buckle portion allowing buckling and deformation of the attachment bracket along at least one perpendicular axis to absorb energy. The rib structure includes at least one rib extending along the wall of the attachment bracket, where the at least one rib includes a shape defining an intermediate buckle portion along the rib. The at least one rib may have a laterally extending notch, a lateral offset segment, a curved segment, or a thinner segment. One or more apertures formed in the wall to define the buckle portion. Any rib configuration may be provided on one or all of the opposed major wall surfaces of the attachment bracket.