That being said, thinking of how a lever works, I would suggest keeping the foot planted closest to the attachment point, since the further out on the step, the greater the transfer of forces. Other designs utilize geometry and with large soft rubber cushions that contact the inner door opening, the direction of force is outward, not downward.

And the design of these devices varies, with some ‘hanging’ off the door pintle, or latch, and the weight being transferred directly downward, with a risk of pulling the pintle down, and misaligning it. If I was 300+ lbs I would probably not be as confident. Being 180 lbs, and with the step having a rating of 400 lbs, my first footstep onto the device was with some body weight being countered by holding onto the roof rails and door sill, and realizing no flex or movement, slowly added full body weight with no adverse effects. Also, be aware that physics are at play here.

These reports may refer to an inferior vehicle built less rugged. Reports that they pull on the latch in a way not designed for and end up screwing up door function.Having just purchased one of these ‘Steps’, I can attest that contrary to alleged “reports”, with no reference or attribute to the source of the “reports”, that the Defender does not suffer from any flexing or deformation of the body panel.

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