3 IMPORT MODELS CONSIDERED SAFE DESPITE ROLLOVERS.

Byline: Glen Johnson Associated Press 

Government tests on the Honda CR-V, Isuzu Rodeo and Kia Sportage show they protect passengers from side impacts just fine, but with one surprising problem. The impacts caused the three sport-utility vehicles to roll onto their sides.

The fact that the test dummies inside fared well but the three vehicles rolled prompted the safety administration to announce its findings Thursday. The agency said it plans to note the rollovers in its consumer ratings of the vehicles.

The rollovers were the first of their kind in the manufacturing compliance and passenger protection tests, which are aimed at ensuring that passengers survive a side-impact collision. In the tests, a movable barrier is rammed into the side of a vehicle at either 33.5 mph or 38.5 mph.

Despite the rollovers, the Honda CR-V and the Isuzu Rodeo still got the highest government rating for passenger protection.

``They're going to get five stars, but it's going to be five stars with an asterisk,'' said Rae Tyson, a spokeswoman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Honda, Isuzu and Kia all defended their SUVs, noting that they performed well in the area the tests were designed to measure. The automakers also said the vehicles had not rolled over when they conducted the same tests.